I quite often get bored by effectively listening to my own voice in the posts, but there’s one theme in particular that really bugs me; I’m always talking about how I’m scared.
We’ve won six of our last seven games. Wolves have only taken two points all season and the result here should be a foregone conclusion, right?
Except that one game we lost was to Liverpool, who were in the middle of a (ongoing) losing streak and a victory should have been pretty much assured, such was the Reds’ poor form.
Except it wasn’t. Aston Villa’s generosity struck again and that’s why I’m scared again here.
This is pretty much the same sort of situation. Wolves don’t have a single win to their name in twelve games and have only taken two points. They have a goal difference of minus twenty, having only scored seven. So they average half a goal a game and concede two and a half.
So a guaranteed win that would leave Wolves challenging for the lowest Premier league tally ever and us riding high in the table. A nailed on victory.
Hah! It doesn’t work like that for the Villa does it? We even proved it against Go ahead Eagles, for example.
We just don’t do guaranteed wins and a defeat is always possible.
Squad news and we’re in a pretty good position again. Even Garcia was fit enough to make the bench midweek and it means Tyrone Mings is the only player on our injury list.
Wolves have Rorigo Gomes, Daniel Bentley and Leon Chiwome definitely out and Matt Doherty is doubtful. Whether any of them would have started anyway, I don’t have a clue.
The good news about Wolves is that this isn’t Rob Edwards’ first game as manager in his new tenure at Wolves. If it was, I’d be joining a betting site ready to stick a wad on us to lose. With their shocking record, I’m still tempted to do so, actually.
Apparently, some of the sites where the Villa get discussed are seeing predictions that we’re going to lose this game. I’m not convinced, as we surely can’t keep us this record of losing what should be shoe-in games, can we?
I think the talking point is about whether Donyell Malen will be starting instead of Ollie Watkins and I think he definitely should.
I’m being generous in saying Ollie is miles off it. He needs taking out of the limelight, simple as and if he doesn’t like it, tough. A striker’s job is to get goals and he’s been useless at it this season, as much as I rate him.
And while Malen hasn’t exactly astounded me (I believe he should have got more against a poor Young Boys), he at least looks sharp and fully up for it. And when he isn’t falling over his own feet, he’s a fairly accurate finisher. The trouble is, every time he has started, he’s looked poor. Which is why I think Emery will stick with Watkins.
I’d expect a striker will be top of the list in the winter window, but with little money to spend, it wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t bother at all.
And then, there are question marks over other players too, with Guessand and Sancho being totally ineffective on Thursday. Sancho doesn’t feature much in Prem games anyway, but Guessand does and he’s disappointed me. He moves like an elephant when he gets anywhere near trying to cross, pass or shoot in the opposition’s box. I had high hopes for him but £30 million is beginning to look like a waste of money now. Still, I suppose in Emery’s book, it’s still early days in his Villa career.
So although I’m very tempted to go along with the “we can’t get guaranteed wins” narrative, I think we’ll be okay and I’m going for a 2-0 victory. I just think we’ll have too much for them.
I certainly hope so.
UTV!
Why did Digne take that free? He hasn’t put a decent ball in all game.
McGinn saying that foul was a two footed jump too.
Rogers has been poor today.
Absolute crap and the only good thing for me is we won.
Getting the points is great, but god, it’s not good to watch is it?
Wow. 3rd. Winning ugly!
Come on Arsenal!!!!
I don’t understand why a two footed jump tackle didn’t get a red card – other than Kavenagh is another useless referee!
Villa were on the ‘just turn up and we’ll win’ mantra again today – just like against Maccabi, GAE, YB and Leeds until they scored.
We might have won but the game was tedious and Villa’s performance uninspiring – but we’re third!
BUT the run of games coming up may well put a dent in our ambitions; certainly will if we play like that.
I agree Hitch. There was one moment where Digne cleared it so casually and lost it, but then the Wolves player handballed it accidentally and we got a free-kick… just imagine we’d have been intercepted then and conceded? But I suppose imagnie this imagine that, we won, that’s what matters. I love getting this fixture out the way for a few months,
Wolves took turns to foul the man on the ball and break play up but Villa scraped home. I have written before we lack players who can shoot from distance – but we have been practicing and found a few players who have that skill. It is an effective way to defeat bus-parkers.
Citeh style circular fouling. We did really well today. We all knew that wasn’t going to be a walkover despite both league positions. Wolves were aggressive, defended deep and well, in numbers. Proper new manager bounce.
I think we underestimate results like this. We did well and it was always going to be decided on a stroke of luck or genius. There is still a mental block playing ‘lesser teams’ but statistically we’re learning.
Well done lads! I nearly gave my sleeping cat a heart attack when we scored!!! Poor thing!!!
Brighton Wednesday. Another massive game…it’s all so tight!
P.s. Come on Arsenal (until next weekend).
It appears to me that our fans would be shocked that it’s not just Villa who don’t do guaranteed wins and have this feeling of generosity.
I mean, the game says it all. Kamara scores the winner, getting his first ever Premier League goal… if that was us who’d conceded that, we’d be going on about how the player who’s never scored in the Premier League before has scored the winner against us… I think it’s just a general thing to be honest, and we just are conditioned to believe that it’s only us that it happens to, except, it’s not.
That being said… good win I suppose, didn’t play great but yeah. I presume we’re all wondering… what happened to when we used to absolutely hammer teams at Villa Park and come to quick for them? I don’t know what happened either, but I guess that it is not that easy anymore, so a 1-0 will do me nicely.
Brighton next. I’ll be at the Amex midweek, although I am just looking forward to flying out for Basle now.. .but win that, and then Arsenal… I think we seriously have a chance there. Let’s do this! UTV
Spot on Alfie. I guess it’s just the old gits who were spoiled in their youth! 🤣🤣🤣…
(Is 56 old???)
I enjoy these cagey games. It’s like chess… Slim margins and all that…
Nope- it’s not – although it does depend on the perspective from which one is viewing 🙂
I would mention it’s a glass half full/half empty perspective but from the comments, the whisky and rum glasses seem to be full to the brim!!! 😁
Excellent – bottoms up 🙂
Wooo hoooo great win and the best keeper in the world saves us again we are so lucky to have him
Tough run coming up but we beat spuds away and city at home so can’t write us off
It seems some have forgotten we played riviting, fast paced football just a couple of seasons back. Nothing to do with anyone’s youth at all. It’s just deliberate tactics.
Will it be more sucessful than entertaining football? Well, we’ll see at the end of the season.
Partly, I suspect Badger, due to us having to sell players like Diaby to meet the idiotic financial regulations.
It’s also relevant to the goal scoring this season with 9 out of 16 goals coming from shots outside the box. We don’t have anyone that is capable of consistently getting to the byeline and placing a ball into the box for a close range goal.
Hoping for some clever transfer dealings in January – rumoured we’re interested in Thiago which is the type of player we need. £50m so we’d need to send Elliott back to Pool and, even then, maybe sell first I guess.
Yes, that’s an interesting stat Hitch. It’s also indicative of how we haven’t really had a finisher in the box, which is where we really miss Watkins.
Personally, I don’t think we’ll spend anything like 50 million and certainly not on one player, but you’re right, he’d be a great signing. My SIL said the same just yesterday evening.
As for Elliott, I’d say that’s a cert, but if he goes back to Pool, he’ll have to play in another league for the rest of the season. He must be terrible in training, which would be odd in his current position or he’s really upset Emery, which seems very difficult to do (think Duran) or we just cannot possibly afford him, which goes back to Thiago.
There is also the possibility that Emery never wanted him in the first place as he doesn’t rate him, which is what many suspect.
There was an interesting piece somewhere I read that Villa were concerned about squad depth and got Sancho, Lindelof and Elliott in on loans / free on deadline day. At the time probably a pragmatic move.
It went on to say that since then Buendia has started to re-find his form which is where it suggested Emery saw Elliott playing with Buendia being moved on in January. As that’s now unlikely to happen it was felt that Emery would not want to outlay £35m for a player he doesn’t really need.
If that’s the case and the money for Elliott was provided for in the ‘budget’ then I think £50m for Thiago is probably affordable.
The other side of the coin is that Ollie won’t want to play second fiddle so I could see a scenario with Thiago coming in, in January, and Ollie moving on in the summer?
That’s the thinking. Pardew was repeating what we’ve been saying about Ollie being damaged by being left out of the CL PSG games…and that he needs a fresh start…He’d do very well in Spain.
Oh definitely Bum bum.
He’s a more technical player and Spain would suit him down to the ground.
Badger, i said that very same to my wife yesterday, what’s happened to that fast pass when yesterday it was warranted we didn’t use it, not on about back passing but sharp movement side and forwards, let’s face it luck was with us in that game.
I can’t be help thinking Ollie will come good. If things don’t start happening again this season then he’d be better off having a fresh start somewhere else, but I’d rather have him rediscover his old ways.
Bum Bum, he seems to have lost half a yard of pace which was one of his strong points. Is that down to a niggling injury, the passage of time, low confidence or a combination of all three?
Bumbum
Something more than that, my guess is he wants out if you ask me. I can’t stop watching what he does and what he should have done. I hope you’re right just just cannot forget what he’s done in the past.
Barkley out for up to 3 months. That’s a big blow, as I actually think he’s been okay in how we’ve used him.
But it all smells a bit fishy to me. After his last stint out, is it possible to have that much bad luck?
I suppose I’ll have to give him the benefit of the doubt.
That is a bummer. He plays well when he comes on. Very focused.
Big game away at Brighton tonight! We can’t win this one can we?
The problem is Bum Bum we have been doing well on the South Coast, and we are overdue a drubbing. Do we need 3 goals to win it or one and park the bus? Put in the midweek floodlit advantage for the home team and I can see us conceding early, coming back from 2-0 to 2-1 but not finding that equalizer.
Another important game tonight especially with Arsenal coming up on Saturday. Somehow we have been getting wins despite being convincing. We are one of the worst teams for creating chances and a striker who can’t hit a barn door at the moment. We are scoring spectacular goals from outside the box but I agree with the pundits who say it isn’t sustainable. Fortunately our defenders are performing well and Martinez for the most part is getting back to his best.
I think our luck will run out tonight. Brighton are one of the best pressing teams and we struggle against this style of play generally. Sometimes we can beat the press and get onto the attack quickly with devastating results. Unfortunately we have failed to do this recently with only Tielemans and Buendia who possess the ability to play the perfect forward pass. Torres was another who can, but it hasn’t happened much this season. My prediction is a 2-0 loss! Let’s hope we can get the 3 points to prove me wrong.
Team news and 4 changes with Tielemans and Buendia on the bench!!
Guessand starts as does Watkins, Maatsen and Onana, replacing Digne and Malen as the other two who drop to the bench.
Seen enough we are not going to win this, why has Unai changed the system, no close play with quick inter moves and stupid fouls in the danger areas, we’ve capitulated this game. Watkins you idiot.
You lovery man Watkins, I take back calling you an idiot 2-2 and 3rd well well .
OMG! When Ollie, and I love the guy, missed that first sitter it was game over for him at the Villa. But as any stand up bloke would do, he proves us wrong with a brace!!!!
What a second half coming up!!!
What a game!!!! Hold on boys!!!!
3 OMG we scored again Onarna wippeee
Maleeenennnnnn!!!!!
4 bloody hell.