Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Ivo Stas on October 15, 2017, 12:49:35 AM
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Notwithstanding the recent wins nor today's defeat, I'm not convinced by our 4-4-2 as it allows the opposition to over-run us in midfield and also keeps Odomah on the bench. I'd play an offensive 4-4-3 (or, if you like, a 4-1-2-3). You could play two up front with a 5-3-2 but I don't have faith in Bruce to organise a 3-man defence (every time he tries, it reminds me of that time Sherwood attempted it against Stoke with that bargain-basement Spanish defender - what was his name?).
Ivo's Villa team would line up like this:
Johnson
Elmohamady, Chester, (Terry/Samba), Taylor
(Whelan/Jedinak/Doyles-Hayes)
Hourihane, (Odomah/Grealish/O'Hare)
(Snodgrass/Adomah), Davis, (Kodja/Green)
(Players not mentioned are not in my thoughts.)
Some observations from the season so far:
Steve Bruce's Villa aren't a football team, they are a percentages team. That's fine, so long as you play them (see Graham Taylor the first, or Martin O'Neill - although his wingers whipped the ball in much earlier). Today, all we had to do was hit clearances to Davis. He always takes care of business from there. But we didn't, we kept playing ourselves into trouble, then took Davis off without subbing on a replacement. (What, Hogan came on? I didn't notice him). I assume Davis went off as he is apparently carrying an injury Jedinak-style. If we lose Davis, we are toast.
Villa don't win matches from team-play, we basically hold the opposition at bay and then rely on one of the front five for a moment of magic. (Snodgrass nearly provided that today with the dinked free-kick that hit the bar.)
Hogan would score 20 goals a season for Wolves, he'd be lucky to get five for Villa if he played every game. Just sell him and get a back-up/competition target man for Davis.
Despite Bruce, I expect us to be in and around the play-offs come April, purely because we probably have the deepest squad in the Championship. Wolves looked great today but where will they be in February if Neves and Jota are injured/knackered? We can replace most players, except Davis (I would have also said Taylor but it turns out that Hutton is a left-back extraordinaire).
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I agree with 4 3 3. We have to get Onomah back in and 3 men in the centre of the park. Davis plays up with Kodjia and Snodgrass either side with Adomah Grealish and Green as options. Onomah is both too good and plays a role we need too much to leave him out.
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I don't think you have to be so rigid as to specify 4_3_3 or 4_4_2.
What you can't get away with though is 2 wide players hugging the touchline and leaving the middle of the park right open.
I'm also sick of the idea of a ho!ding midfielder as I don't think either Whelan or jedinak are mobile enough. So that means 3 normal centralish midfielders.
Davis up front centrally with kodija drifting off to the left seems natural enough.
I'm in a minority but think adomah is a waste of space. So I'd go with Snodgrass right midfield/wing.
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Bruce strikes me as being a bit of a lazy manager who leaves everything to his coaches.
I saw Jose Fonte on the football focus programme earlier. Can't remember who he was talking about but whoever it was a friend of his was describing how Guardiola had no fewer than three consecutive team meetings to discuss the tactics of how to play against Stoke. He said similar things about Pocchecino when at Southampton.
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It would have taken a small adjustment yesterday to get a foothold in the game.
An extra body Onomah in central midfield.
I agree the central midfield 2 of Whelan and Hourihane will get over run against decent opposition.
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I don't think you have to be so rigid as to specify 4_3_3 or 4_4_2.
What you can't get away with though is 2 wide players hugging the touchline and leaving the middle of the park right open.
I'm also sick of the idea of a ho!ding midfielder as I don't think either Whelan or jedinak are mobile enough. So that means 3 normal centralish midfielders.
Davis up front centrally with kodija drifting off to the left seems natural enough.
I'm in a minority but think adomah is a waste of space. So I'd go with Snodgrass right midfield/wing.
Agree with every point.Mobile central midfielders should be played.There is an obsession with wide players hugging the touchline which as you point out leads to the opposition bossing the centre of midfield.The time to go wide is in the last third with players making moves out to the flanks.Adomah had a great short spell but I wouldn't back him over a season.
A diamond midfield might work.Choose 4 from these,Doyle-Hayes,Onomah,Hourihane,Snodgrass and O'Hare.Grealish to be in contention later. It allows Kodjia to support upfront but makes us more compact defensively and play with more pace to either press or counter attack.