What's actually wrong with our team?

[Nastylee]

There are other threads discussing the state of the club but I wanted to give my observations on the playing side. I have seen a lot of the team during the horrendous run and my views are as follows:

1) the dynamic of the team just isn't right. PL sets his teams up far too narrow meaning our inexperienced full backs are exposed far too often. It's been bordering on laughable how average teams such as Wigan, Bradford and Southampton have opened us up, seemingly at will at times. Why does he insist on this shape when it doesn't shore us up or assist with the goals for column?

2) AMc got stick last season for dour football but ultimately kept us safe and some could argue that had it not been for injuries to key personnel then we would have been much higher up the table. Some fans try to convince us that we're much more attractive this season but ultimately this is a results business and we are failing miserably. There's no doubt we are in a scrap so it it time to play differently? Do we need to start playing the ugly way to pick up points?

3) the experienced v inexperienced debate: some say we need guidance while PL points out that experience didn't help us last season. I believe in quality and we've lacked that in key areas for the past few seasons, age isn't really the factor. PL has probably tried to change thd ethos too quickly and by ostricising senior players he's not helped and burned bridges. People point to the Norwich model, but PL was able to mould a young team out of the spotlight in the lower leagues. They got used to winning and were used to playing with each other by the time they made the Premier league. We, on the other hand are trying to build one of the most unforgiving leagues and it's killing us. The strategy was right but the timing of its implementation has been wide of the mark.

In conclusion,  we are in trouble but not cut off. We still can escape but something needs to change. Either  RL helps us raise the quality of players or PL needs to admit things haven't worked and change his approach. Can you see either happening? If we continue as we are then there's no doubt relegation is a real possibility.

[eastie]

Much easier to ask what's right with it to be honest , I would like to reply but I'm having dinner in 4 hours so have not got time .

[Monty]

They panic in the final third. That's the main problem. They do play some very neat stuff in the middle third, and fashion some good chances to create chances (if that makes any sense), but there's clearly no confidence there, and the result is tentative, unimaginative stage-fright, and the final ball is almost always wrong.

[David_Nab]

We play Narrow in midfield and expect FB to get forward problem is we lose ball and they left out of position.

We could do with better players for sure but they are set up and organized wrong

[Monty]

We play Narrow in midfield and expect FB to get forward problem is we lose ball and they left out of position.

We could do with better players for sure but they are set up and organized wrong

You're so right about the full-backs. Time and time again we're exposed down our left hand side, and Lowton actually doesn't get forward that much on the right and we're clearly lacking variety.

[supertom]

Everything. On and off the field.
Other than that, we're fine.
 

No one seems to have any idea what they're doing on the pitch. There's no leadership on it, no organisation and there doesn't appear to be much in the way of game plan coming from Lambert. Our backline is ridiculous.  Worst attack, worst defence. Poorest goal difference. That says it all really.
We want to pass it, or at least Lambert wants us to play that way long term. It doesn't always work out like that and aside from 2-3 teams who play more directly, like Stoke, every other team is trying to play the ball on the deck, and most of them are doing it far better than we are.

[Legion]

No width. No experience. No leadership.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

We don't come out the blocks very quickly, we never take the game to the opposition from the whistle and seem to get hemmed back almost straight away.

[Toronto Villa]

It's confidence. It's confidence that each of them have ability, and confidence in that ability that they are good enough to attack and confidence that in the face of adversity they can come back. The lack of experienced players in the side or squad that have strong personalities, or with a winning background compounds things. Under Houllier he at least had quality and leadership to draw upon. Under TSM there was less, and under Lambert there's almost none, and those who he could draw on have been unavailable or uninspiring.

Lambert knows that if he only brings in one or two they have to be the type of player to instill confidence in those around him. Won't be easy to find because those players aren't cheap

[Rancid custard]

Tactical discipline. We're not playing with any width, we can't man mark, the back four don't know when to drop off and get pulled out of position too easily, the wingers don't help the full backs, the full backs don't help the wingers, the midfield play too deep with no defensive shield. Blah, blah, blah...

What upsets me, really really upsets me is that with a bit of formation, tactical and personal direction we could address all of these things with our current team, sure they aren't the greatest but at the very least we'd be harder to break down, not concede as many and maybe just maybe at the very least turn those loses into draws.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

The other teams have better players than ours .

[Rigadon]

We're particularly weak along our left side and championship standard across the rest of it.  Some of the players aren't good enough for a club the size of Villa and the rest are low on confidence and form.  Add to that we're unlucky like struggling sides always seem to be. 

[caster troy]

I went with a Blackpool fan yesterday and the thing that struck him most was the lack of movement off the ball. It was apparent to both of us that players are hiding and don't want the ball, if someone gets in trouble in possession no-one helps them out, gives them a short option or a long ball down the line. No-one moves off the ball, players just stand there and seemingly hope they don't get it, even from throw-ins in attacking positions.

Maybe they are low on confidence but for goodness sake it was Southampton at home, not Barca. We also don't move the ball quickly enough, a couple of times Bannan was in acres of space in a dangerous position, the crowd were screaming for us to get it wide, but by the time we realised it the full back moved across to cover.

[Lambert and Payne]

No width. No experience. No leadership.

Says nearly all of it for me. I think we've been a little unlucky in terms of injuries to key players and PL been too stubborn to play players like Bent and Warnock who we need right now. Benteke should have had 7 altogether with Bradford and Southampton and thats not PL's fault. Utter inept defending and attacking from set pieces is though

[aj2k77]

It's crap, case closed.