MaVilla Posted August 14, 2021 Author Share Posted August 14, 2021 seems Smith said again today that we are probably done with transfers. I really hope we arent, i really really hope we arent. If we go in to this season without a proper DM, it will be almost criminal negligence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 1 minute ago, HKP90 said: The only way out that I can see for him is going 3-5-2 Dean must see that Nakamba is a limited option for use against the top 6 where we will see virtually none of the ball. Outside of that, he shouldn't be playing. I'm optimistic that Sanson will come back and give us a lot of options for the middle, especially with Luiz to come back to. Who are you playing where in the 3 5 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 (edited) I see no possible formation where Ings, Watkins, Buendia and Bailey all start, and we don't get overrun elsewhere on the pitch. If they want us to play all our "best" forwards at the same time, they need to spend some money on a better double pivot option to sit behind Buendia in the 10 role. Even then, I don't think that would be our best option. Our best option for me drops one of Ings or Watkins. Dean needs some balls. Edited August 14, 2021 by MrBlack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dounavilla Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 1 hour ago, hippo said: Jack's gone and we're nothing without him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratvillan Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 1 hour ago, hippo said: Jack's gone and we're nothing without him. Cheer up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 We can argue all we like but the owners simply won't be waiting years for him to come up with some coherent formation and strategy in the post G***lish era. I'm sure they've studied our recent past and saw how wrong it quickly went in 2015 (and it obviously wasn't great in the seasons before that). They and Purslow will simply look at it and say....we've given you millions and you now have two top class strikers in the squad, two reasonably proven creative players to replace you know who and also the guys you signed last summer like Traore. And an 18m midfielder signed in January aswell. Make it work by by November is the simple brief I think once everyone is fully fit and settled. They'll be looking at top level managers who have endless attacking players coming out of their ears yet produced structually sound teams. O.k maybe unfair comparing DS to likes of Guardiola and Tuchel but give say Brendan Rodgers our squad and a pre season and I'm sure within a few months we'd be playing pretty well. Up to Dean to step up and do that rather than falling back down the table as we will do playing regularly like today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Just now, VillaChris said: they lost at home to Newcastle first day and loads on here had them as bottom 3 certs. In isolation first game dosen't really matter. We won at Bournemouth in 15/16 and then collected a further 14 points from the next 111 available. And been other seasons when we've lost first day and finished top 6. Need to step up v Newcastle as Brentford will be a tricky fixture to win based on what they did v Arsenal. This is more than just losing the opening fixture. The tactical setup is just wrong. He is shoehorning players into unnatural positions There are a lot more questions than there are answers and that's never a good sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Just now, Vive_La_Villa said: Fair point but why lie about West Ham playing top teams? Seriously **** off to the Leeds forum. They did have a horrendous set of fixtures early on in the season. Might not have been the first 2 games so fair enough. Hope Smith goes back to 4-3-3 very soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Midfield midfield midfield. This has been shit for Villa for years. I'd say for over a decade it's been weak yet overlooked. Get that midfield sorted and suddenly defence and attack benefits but Jesus how long can we ignore this area!?! Break the transfer record and get at least TWO new players in. One player isn't good enough frankly. And push McGinn further forward for Christ sake. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Inspiration Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Watkins - Ings - Bailey target - Doug - sanson - buendia tuanzebe - mings - konsa EMI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a m ole Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, Keyblade said: Watkins/Ings Bailey Buendia/Traore McGinn Sanson Luiz -Back 5- Think this is our best side as it stands. Guess we still have time to improve it by signing a couple of more players. Absolutely this, plus I’d like to see an option of going 4-4-2 diamond Watkins Ings/Bailey Buendia Sanson McGinn Luiz Could be a very fluid change with Buendia occupying both wing positions and the front two moving across Edited August 14, 2021 by a m ole 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobsons Choice Posted August 14, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted August 14, 2021 2 hours ago, MrBlack said: Dean must see that Nakamba is a limited option for use against the top 6 where we will see virtually none of the ball. Outside of that, he shouldn't be playing. I'm optimistic that Sanson will come back and give us a lot of options for the middle, especially with Luiz to come back to. Who are you playing where in the 3 5 2? I’ll explain my thinking here. Look we all know where the issue is. Midfield. More specifically Defensive Midfield. Having the three centre backs gives us a supernumerary. We play the best ball player of the 3 main CBs- Axel, Mings and Konsa in the centre, giving him license to step out of defence to lay it off to one of Luiz or Mcginn in a CM position but their main role would be defensive. Essentially it would be like having an extreme defensive DM, but would allow us to use the personnel we have. It would free up the midfield from part of their defensive duty, as we’ll have the spare man, plus limit the damage from lack of protection. In addition we can field full backs who are perhaps more on the attacking side, either Cash and Targett, or Cash and Young. Being wingbacks both limits their need to be defensive (although they will still partly fulfil that role), and again limits the damage if they are compromised, since the spare CB can cover. The starting position of the wing backs further forward would allow them to link the defence and midfield, and also provide width. Two up top would allow ings and ollie to both play, and we could have two behind in the form of Buendia and Bailey who could take up wide or central positions depending on the situation. We sacrifice some of our attacking width by not operating inside forwards, but at least we wouldn’t get battered defensively. Alternatively we buy a Defensive Midfielder. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 (edited) 13 hours ago, Kiwivillan said: Just sick to death reading "need a proper DM" mantra everywhere for weeks. 1 loss and it's out in force again. We were flying along fine without "a proper DM" last season until Grealish injury. DM wouldn't have stopped the goals conceded today from happening So what would? It might have given us the balance to be a team as opposed to the headless chickens and ill prepared defending.....that debacle was not one thing it was an accumulation of factors, but addressing a balance in the team is a start. It seems we were playing PSG not Watford. Edited August 15, 2021 by TRO 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-R Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 If I were Smith I'd sell Wesley and Ghazi and use that money add it to the rest that's left and splash it on some more reinforcements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayls Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 (edited) Looks like we have reached a point now where we are just adding players to the squad and not thinking about balance. The players we purchased last summer have now lost that new team mojo and so no longer feel the need to bother or impress. We have passengers remaining from the Bruce era and the new signings hadnt played together prior to yesterday (except what goes on in training). All a bit of a mess again. Definitely a chance to rebuild next year by getting rid of a lot of this squad and seeing what our youngsters can do at Championship level. Edited August 15, 2021 by Tayls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delphinho123 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 20 minutes ago, Tayls said: Looks like we have reached a point now where we are just adding players to the squad and not thinking about balance. The players we purchased last summer have now lost that new team mojo and so no longer feel the need to bother or impress. We have passengers remaining from the Bruce era and the new signings hadnt played together prior to yesterday (except what goes on in training). All a bit of a mess again. Definitely a chance to rebuild next year by getting rid of a lot of this squad and seeing what our youngsters can do at Championship level. Yep. Smith has a major headache trying to fit Watkins, Buendia, Ings and Bailey into the same team. Not only that, but Traore played very well when he came on yesterday. I’m a big critic of his but also a firm believer that if you play well, you keep your place. If bringing in two players that play in his position is the fire he needs to perform, I’m all for it. I genuinely have no idea how we line up against Newcastle. Our midfield is so weak that it probably means we need to play a 4-3-3 but good luck picking that front 3. Be awful strange having 50/60m worth of attacking players on the bench for a team that will probably finish around 11th. Its about balance. And we don’t have it at all at the moment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkiller1981 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 12 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said: Yep. Smith has a major headache trying to fit Watkins, Buendia, Ings and Bailey into the same team. Not only that, but Traore played very well when he came on yesterday. I’m a big critic of his but also a firm believer that if you play well, you keep your place. If bringing in two players that play in his position is the fire he needs to perform, I’m all for it. I genuinely have no idea how we line up against Newcastle. Our midfield is so weak that it probably means we need to play a 4-3-3 but good luck picking that front 3. Be awful strange having 50/60m worth of attacking players on the bench for a team that will probably finish around 11th. Its about balance. And we don’t have it at all at the moment. Agreed we didn’t have balance and also zero pace anywhere on the pitch at the start of the match. Looking at that starting line up I’m thinking of all the wide players we have at the club how the F is el ghazi starting? He hardly started last year so what’s he done get a start and his performance did not answer that question. look what Watford did used pace out wide as a constant get out ball with Sarr who we absolutely should have signed from them last year. We had no get out balls at all just punts to nowhere from cash (who if he plays like that needs replacing ASAP) and mings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 (edited) 22 minutes ago, jim said: We have signed two players who’s preferred position is on the right and a striker who doesn’t fit our system. That one is very odd. Did they do no research on Buendia at all? Expecting him to be a number 10 when he ain't? Actually Traore is also a natural right winger. Only really El Ghazi plays on the left and I guess Watkins can do a job there. Like Delphinho been banging on about for the past 2 weeks. Still haven't replaced Grealish Edited August 15, 2021 by villalad21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delphinho123 Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 15 minutes ago, jim said: Really? Lets see. The board set a release clause they did not believe would be met. It was and they were taken by surprise. Two coaches have left for ‘reasons’ We have signed two players who’s preferred position is on the right and a striker who doesn’t fit our system. Unbalanced. Smith has said twice in the last few days we are happy with what we’ve got. Hinting at no more signings. We are in profit so far this window. Plenty of foundation there IMO of course. I’ll be honest, that’s a concern. We’re probably just about ok with our attacking options albeit we still haven’t replaced Grealish on the left. The real concern is the central midfield. It’s a complete mess. I’d argue we need two better players in there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Follyfoot Posted August 15, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted August 15, 2021 3 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said: I’ll be honest, that’s a concern. We’re probably just about ok with our attacking options albeit we still haven’t replaced Grealish on the left. The real concern is the central midfield. It’s a complete mess. I’d argue we need two better players in there. Sanson should be one when fit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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