Pessimistic me shares the concerns that some of us have about Spurs being very capable of scoring at Villa Park on their day.
But even I have to tend to the view that we should win this quite comfortably.
I know, it’s brave of me but the requirement is quite simple for the rest of the season. Win our 2 final games. Emery will have drummed it into the players, although I doubt they’d have needed to be told.
Win these two games and what will be, will be. Plain and simple and anything less won’t be acceptable.
It might not even be enough for us to qualify for the Champions League, but if we can succeed in our final push, that’s it. We can do no more.
So saying we will win is a bit of a bold statement, but come on, if we can’t beat these, we don’t deserve to qualify anyway. We could probably not have had a better time to play them, all season, given that they face Man Utd in the Europa league final on Wednesday. Everyone in their side is going to want to play in it and there’s no way any of them will be giving any extra tonight. It wouldn’t even surprise me if Postecoglou has told them to take it easy. They have nothing to play for in the league and can’t be relegated, after all. Will Ange even play his first team?
I won’t even go into their current form. Well, I will do, but in a minute.
Squad news then and it’s very straightforward. Tielemans is out with a calf injury, Rashford is out with a hamstring issue and Ramsey is suspended after his very soft second yellow last week. I say soft and it was, but he should never have got himself booked the first time.
As for Spurs, the good news for us (but not the player, obviously) is that Dejan Kulusevski has undergone knee surgery. James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall are both out too and it’s quite odd, as I haven’t heard Ange bleating on about how he thinks they’re the only club to get injuries lately?
Son is due to get at least a few minutes after being out for a month.
It’s probably all a bit academic anyway, if the Greek (why did I think he was Australian?) decides to not field a full strength side.
And then there’s current form.
We’re the only team to have won 5 out of 6 of our last games, while Spurs’ form is abysmal. In their last 6, they’ve won 1, drawn 1 and lost 4. That’s relegation form.
Normally, I would be saying that we’re heading for a typical Aston Villa type fall here, but I just can’t see it. Yes, a small part of me knows it’s very possible, but even so, in my head losing against them is simply not an option.
I’ve loved watching Spurs all season. They’ve been my favourite and “go to” team, Villa apart and I always look out for them playing. The reason is simple. They are (or at least, were) either great or terrible and their games always give you goals.
And I fail to see anything different tonight.
I’m going for a 3-1 win. The only thing we have to fear here is complacency.
UTV
Maatsen having a blinder
I wonder who got the assist?
Well, thank god for that.
Maatsen or Onana or Asensio or mcginn or kamara. Any one of five for man of the match. Maybe even the whole team.
Wow!!!!!!!
And there we go! No doubt we would win as I mentioned earlier.
Emery is a genius.
Ascensio showed why Emery kept playing him, a must buy.
Everyone contributed true team performance.
I know it is the heat of the moment but we really should avoid slagging our players off. The perspective 6 seasons ago we were in the Championship and dreamt of being in the position we are now in.
Now Man Utd.
If we do make Champions League i really believe we will be stepping up a level and here come some trophies!
Oh me of little faith!
I have the game on record and I’m going to watch it tonight whatever time our visitors leave.
I’m over the moon – what a job our owners, Emery and our team have done – made us fans all proud.
Just one last push against the worst Nemesis we have and I believe CL football will be ours again next season. The girls won five on the bounce, we just have to win four.
UTMV
Mate I really wish I cared but unfortunately I really don’t give a flying f**k.
I assume that’s aimed at me RSS and not Hitchens, as it looks.
Look, I get it. You have a massive dislike of Rogers. Just like I can’t stand Cash (who got totally outpaced by Son).
There’s no need to be so bitter in the replies.
For info, Rogers was given the assist. What do you want me to say?
He doesn’t produce?
He clearly does, as much as you might not like him.
Badger an assist, really?
I knew you were going to say that but an assist? A sidewards pass that Kamara takes on,sidesteps a player and smashes into the bottom corner?
If that’s an assist it’s the bottom barrel of assists?
But no, it wasn’t aimed at you but the end comment by, I’m not the slightest bit of interest.
You?
I thought you might say that.
Yahoo called it a lovely assist and I’ve got a screenshot to prove it.
I’m not going to drag it out though, because I would hardly class it as an assist either 🙂
Oh well happy days.
Going down to the wire this.
One saving grace, Chelsea’s away form is pants.
One minus….
So is ours 🤦♂️
Oh, I get it now. Women’s footy. No, I’m not interested either, but good luck to them.
Yep 👍
Not in the slightest.
RSS, perhaps the phrase ‘Women’s football is really not for me’ works better. It does for me. (And I’m really not a fan either).
A frustrating game until the goal but perseverance paid off. Really pleased for Kamara getting a goal.
Was Ollie waving goodbye to the Holte End?
Anyway, one down and one to go!
UTMV!
Great win with 10 men.
Who got sent off? 🙂
I was having a dig at Rogers Hitch.
I did get that RSS – hence the smiley face. 🙂
Wooo hooo job done UTMV
That’s cruel from Chelsea but probably what we expected. Feckin goal difference will decide. But we did as much as we could today. On a side note why do so many premier managers look like South American dictators and we have a manager that looks like a Birmingham publican
Agree Gerry. It looks like GD will punish us.
You never know though.
Just seen Martinez on the lap of honour looking very emotional and practically crying.
Is he off? It certainly looked like it.
Saudi for silly money because.
(A) PSR
(B) Didn’t they clash at Arsenal?
Didn’t who clash?
I’m not sure who you mean.
Unai and Martinez (allegedly)
Ah, yes, but I’d say Emery is too pragmatic to let something daft like that bother him????
I love the geezer but it’s hard to refute that he’s a loose cannon?
Prone to the odd faux pas?
Ha, you mean a total nutcase goalie I think. Definitely.
Seems a lovely bloke though. Good with kids too, but I guess that’s the Latinos for you.
Badger
Just scene the photo of Martinez in tears.
I really hope he is not being sold. But, in Emery we trust. If it means Martinez has to be sold for PSR and they feel they can unearth the next best goalie then we have to accept it.
Fabrizio Roman0 says he doesn’t know.
But it makes sense. We get a big fee that will go a long way to helping with PSR. He gets a stupid wage for his final payday.
It’s where we are, PSR constantly hindering us.
But as long as we can keep making fat profits from the players, it’s fine.
Don’t know who we’d get in though and we also need a back up.
PSR = Preserving the status quo”
Absolutely.
But what would he bring in?
£35-40 mill would be my guess.
I think it’s pretty obvious we’re going to have to sell at least one top player.
It’s Saudi mate, so that estimate could be conservative?
Sure I read something along the lines of £80m.
That’s really steep for a goalie, but I’d love that.
https://www.astonvillanews.co.uk/2025/05/06/aston-villa-to-consider-100m-emiliano-martinez-sale-amid-saudi-transfer-news/
It’s really stacked against us in terms of continuing our upward momentum whilst meeting the ceiling PSR tries to restrict us by.
If it is his final Villa Park game – he has been a true servant and I rank him higher than Rimmer and Bosnich my two favourite keepers. But I really hope we are wrong on him leaving.
Ye think we will miss out on champions league but we have a hell of a team
Well done Unai and the boys. We now we need Forest to do us a favour on the final day now, assuming we do what we need to do. I fear they won’t have enough left and the serious injury to their player will have knocked the stuffing out of them. If it’s not to be, it won’t be the GD that’s done us, in my opinion. It’ll be all the draws, most of them last year; we should have secured second place. The margins are so fine. One more goal here, one less conceded there, and it’s a very different picture.
We’ve taken it to the final day after a magnificent run and we’d be top of the league based on the last 11 games – that’s almost a third of the season. Impressive.
Unai’s come up with a new club motto: “consistent, demanding, focused.” That’s what was lacking early season and ultimately, that’s what might cost us.
We’ll have to wait and see…
I think we should have played at the same time as Chelsea. Knowing we had won will have galvanised them. Their goal came as Unai was posing with the fans. I wonder if they’d have toiled if we’d played simultaneously. If the club chose the earlier kick-off, that’s an error. Fine margins. Every small variable counts.
We can’t sell Emi he’s the best in the world and in one on one’s one of the best ever
At £100 mill, I’d give him a big kiss, say he very much and help him into his Saudi Limo, while stuffing that beautiful far cheque in my as arse pocket. The reality is that would be too much to turn down and if the club are offered anywhere near that , they’ll take it.
Is it really £100m? I can’t see an offer for that much coming our way. Anything above £80m for a goalkeeper has to be considered. Unfortunately we will be weaker in that position if he goes because there’s no one who we can attract who can replace him.
It looks like PSR will peg us back and I can see us struggling next season with our best players constantly mooted to depart.
I really hope Martinez stays. I don’t think we can replace him with someone who won’t weaken us. Liverpool, Citeh, PSG and Real Madrid are the only clubs that have comparable quality, and we aren’t going to get one from them.
I find it strange that we would go into the summer needing a new No 1 and 2. It can only be if Martinez wants to leave surely. Personally I would prefer for him to be strongly encouraged to stay for another season.
Kelleher?
If Palace are allowed to win this final I’ll be amazed.
So far they’ve been awarded a penalty that IMO should have resulted in a booking for simulation and Dehandjob hasn’t just been booked is beyond me.
(they = city)