VillaParkAvenue

Wrong. Some mid-table or lower teams have top coaches. Potter at Brighton is a top coach, Bruno Lage could very well be one and Hasenhuttl is at least close to being one. And that’s only those in the league right now. The biggest international coaching names is another story. There are maybe twenty of those who would say no to a midtable club in Premier League, but the value of appointing one of those is questionable - Ancelotti at Everton wasn’t that great.

But he’s always wasteful? Goes past players but it usually ends in nothing, which is why he only gets a few goals and assists each season.

It’s likely because they don’t see any passing alternatives. The players further up are marked and don’t move enough. Something you would hope they work on in training. Man City don’t have all that wonderful possession by accident, Pep is working on their movement, positioning and passing all the time.

Also, our main problem yesterday wasn’t defending. It was creating. We tried for most of the game but couldn’t. Some people seem to believe a defensive midfielder is what stands between Villa and world domination. We have many other problems. I’m also impatient for Nakamba to come back though. Partly because he’s a good if somewhat limited defensive player, but also to end the myth that he is the solution. We have lost many games with Nakamba and will lose many more. Gerrard didn’t transform him, he just changed the teams defensive shape and now it’s gone back again.

The whole team has had a completely different shape lately than in those early Gerrard games. The team stayed really tight and defended in a narrow block then, and had very little possession. If Nakamba had played yesterday or against Leeds, he would have had much larger areas to cover.

I agree about the profile, that’s why top clubs aren’t satisfied with players who only are ball winners, in a possession based style all players must be available passers. I like Wolves midfield when Neves and Moutinho are playing.

Midfield and especially defensive midfield seems to be a constant headache for clubs. Looking around forums, many seem to be crying out for their clubs to improve their midfield options. Where are all these great midfield players today, if so many clubs feel the need to strenghten? Considering the number of defensive midfielders with french names and immigrant backgrounds, maybe they are in various housing projects outside Paris.

I absolutely agree ASM was better than Watkins. But the eyes tell that better than the stats imo.

Losing possession 11 times was less than most Villa players though and fairly low for that stat. Saint-Maximin lost possession 17 times, Chris Wood 20 (and Digne 26).

Yes they were bad yesterday (his crossing has been good previous games). Curious about how the lost possession stat is counted. Players often have very high numbers there and I wonder what technically counts as possession lost.

No, not Luiz. I wonder where all those cases of lost possession for Digne comes from, they weren’t obvious by watching the game.

Maybe Xhaka is available by then, he can be pretty aggressive when noone is expecting it.

I think Digne has done well so far, very good with the ball and reads the game. But the problem with the setup remains, fullbacks placed that high with a back four puts huge pressure on remaining players, not sure it’s worth it.

Managers say things they don’t mean. They talk about how players are important to give them hope and make them work harder, but that doesn’t have to mean they’ll play much. Like with VDB or Lingard at Man U or Saul at Chelsea.

I like McGinn and believe he’s still had more good than bad games this season. But I agree on the last part. McGinn is often very useful when Villa are under attack, and he can fight for every ball like a stubborn honey badger. If we are serious about wanting to control games through possession though, he can soon become a liability. He lacks calm and composure, his vision is often good but his ball control isn’t.

The system makes him a poor winger when he’s really a good fullback. I wouldn’t mind if he concentrated on defending again, but we already know the system comes first so that won’t happen. And yes, his crossing really is painful. Wonder what he’s thinking after smashing it up in the stands again.

You put words on many of my thoughts there. Very well written, thank you.

That Sanson had a great game vs Man U except for the back pass is a popular myth. He made at least one more mistake in that game which was just as bad, but where Martinez saved after Sanson played the ball directly on Elanga (beginning of 2nd half). He also got bypassed numerous times out wide, often through 1-2s, and struggled to recover. Caused the unnecessary free kick which led to their first goal. All that could be forgiven if he had contributed something going forward, but he didn’t. No need for conspiracy theories. He hasn’t had many chances but there’s a reason for that. However, now that Gerrard promised upcoming changes he could get another chance.

At least people’s memories are short. The day before yesterday Lampard was a disasterous choice for Everton, today he’s brought style and a winning mentality back to Goodison. Doesn’t take much for the narrative to change 180 degrees.

Today, any momentum was destroyed every time by constant stops and starts. The peak was when Villa finally seemed to get some pressure and suddenly the ref stopped for some medical energency. Either Newcastle got lucky with all of that or it was superb gamesmanship…

If Gerrard fails, Purslow would have to leave. He really stuck his neck out when SG was appointed and it looks like he will keep backing him financially too. Make or break for Purslow. Next question is what the owners would do if Purslow left, but I prefer not to think about that just yet.

Never challenge the top 10? We finished 11th last season and have strengthened since. Our squad is no worse than Wolves, Brighton’s or Southampton’s and all of those are in the top 10 currently. Our squad also has a higher valuation than West Ham who are 4th. I guess Gerrard would agree with you though, buying more expensive players will always be the easy way out for a manager.

Chambers did ok. No heroics but no real mistakes either except for that stupid foul. He looks funny when he’s running though, almost like he’s just shat his pants. (I’m all for players having distinctive traits, makes them easier to identify from distance)

Our defence is shaky partly because the fullbacks are told to be high up the pitch, instead of doing ordinary defending. That’s not on Digne, it’s the system.

Can’t believe we’re still stuck in Smith vs Gerrard. It’s perfectly rational to have wanted Smith gone, and still not be convinced about Gerrard. We have Gerrard now and must obviously give him plenty of time, but I admit I would have wanted to see more positive signs on the pitch already. What we do know is that Purslow loves Gerrard. He will be backed financially and given many many chances to improve.