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Author Topic: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa  (Read 8330 times)

Offline Gregorys Boy

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Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« on: August 22, 2013, 12:30:35 PM »
When everyone is fit and in good form which starting eleven do you see being our best this season.

Guzan - one of our best players last season, is still young too, Given is a good backup to have.
Okore - His pace could be important and will hopefully be a little less prone to errors than Clark (who I also think has promise).
Vlaar - Think he was unlucky last season due to injury and the fact that we had a very unsettled back line.  See him growing into a Martin Laurson type leader.
Luna - His pace coming from deep gives us a different options on the break.
Lowton - A more hard working and tidy player who could compliant Luna very well.
Sylla - Its early to say, but can see him as our Roy Keane enforcer type, think he is a good passer and will score a few goals too.
Depth - Another hard worker with pace, impressive start to the season, will grow in confiderence the more he plays.
Westwood/Albrighton/Bacuna - Am a bit on the fence here as I think we need a bit more of a bust of pace and old school style winger which Albrighton gives us but then with the front three maybe that takes care of that problem.  Westwood had a promising first season but do see him as one whose form will be hit and miss so I do see a place for Albrighton at times. Bacuna is another tradition winger, don't know a great deal about him but expect him to play a part as the season moves on.
Agbonlahor - Great start to the season.
Benteke - No brainer.
Weimann - A flexible player who fits well into our style of play and can be good both going forward and working back.  Should get roughly nine or ten goals, but again will consider other options such as Albrighton, Helenius if his form dips. 

Offline UK Redsox

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2013, 12:35:44 PM »
To me Lowton has been at fault for a couple of goals already. I don't think that his position should be as assured as you do.

Offline RussellC

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2013, 12:42:10 PM »
I have really, really high hopes for Tonev. It's been a long, long time  since we had a quality player in his mould- a player of genuinely quality and flair. A game -changer. The last decent one we had was probably Merson.

I know it was fleeting last night, and during pre-season, but I've seen glimpses to suggest he could become this player. I loved his tracking-back last night too when he found himself as the last-man when they broke from a corner. That's the kind of dogged work-ethic that's running through the team at the moment and will be central to what this team can achieve. It's also the reason that we'll probably never see Ireland or N'Zogbia in a Villa shirt again.

I also have a bit of love for Ciaran Clark. I love the idea of a player captaining us succesfully at Youth Level and progressing to do the same for the first team. I once held the same hope for Liam Ridgewell though, so it remains hope rather than expectancy.

Because of the above, I'm going to go with;

Guzan; Lowton, Okore, Clark, Luna; Westwood, Delph, Tonev; Agbonlahor, Benteke, Wiemann.

Offline RussellC

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2013, 12:44:57 PM »
To me Lowton has been at fault for a couple of goals already. I don't think that his position should be as assured as you do.

Bit harsh. We've only conceded 3! At Arsenal, if anything, it was Vlaar stepping too high up the pitch and not winning the ball. Same for Chelsea's first (he's nowhere to be seen as the ball deflects in off Tony Moon), and not sure what he could have done about Ivanovic's header yesterday.

Lowton is employed to get forward as often as possible (and is very good at this). The downside is that it will inevitably leave space on his side for teams to attack.

Offline eastie

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2013, 12:46:01 PM »
The team so far have been superb - we have good players on the bench awaiting their chance but I'm happy to stick with the midfield 3 for now and front 3 , defensively Lowton okore Vlaar and luna looked good last night and I'd go with that - the likes of tonev , sylla , helenius, bacuna will get their chance at some stage and will probably all feature at home to Rotherham.

The lads who have started so far have been superb and deserve to retain their places if fit.

Offline RussellC

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2013, 12:48:47 PM »
That would be a more interesting question - what would be your starting 11 at home to Rotherham?

Far be it from me to hijack your thread though....!

Offline bobdylan

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2013, 01:04:07 PM »
Guzan
Lowton Vlaar Okore Luna
KEA Westwood Delph
Weimann Benteke Gabby

Rotherham
Steer
Bacuna Baker Clark Bennett
Sylla Tonev Gardner
Albrighton Helenius Bowery

Offline Concrete John

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2013, 01:46:39 PM »
Best 11:-
Guzan
Lowton/Vlaar/Okore/Luna
Sylla/WestwoodDelph
Weimann/Benteke/Gabby

The most vulnerable in that are Weimann and Sylla, under threat from Tonev and KEA respectively.

Against Rotheram:-
Steer
Bacuna/Donacien/Okore/Luna
Sylla/Westwood/Gardner
Tonev/Helenius/Gabby

Offline levico

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2013, 01:48:52 PM »
Looking at the way we are stacking up yellow cards, and I'm not complaining, I think we will have to play whoever is not suspended in a few weeks time.

Offline Salsa Party Animal

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2013, 02:22:00 PM »
              Guzan
Lowton Vlaar Okore Luna
Sylla  Westwood  Delph
Tonev Benteke Gabby

would be mine as Tonev will give us more creative and offensive weapons in set pieces

Offline Tokyo Sexwhale

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2013, 02:26:17 PM »
To me Lowton has been at fault for a couple of goals already. I don't think that his position should be as assured as you do.

Our only other right back is Hutton, so that pretty much assures Lowton his place.

Offline eastie

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #11 on: August 22, 2013, 02:28:42 PM »
To me Lowton has been at fault for a couple of goals already. I don't think that his position should be as assured as you do.

Our only other right back is Hutton, so that pretty much assures Lowton his place.

I think bacuna will come in at right back should Lowton not be available at any time.
The good thing is we have now decent options on the bench and those in the team know they must perform as there are others in the wings.

Offline Keeno

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2013, 02:34:50 PM »
KEA and Sylla will battle it out for that third midfield berth this season, which is good, healthy competition. Westy and Delph are no brainers, different players but are forming a great understanding, really high hopes for both of them - it's been a long time since we've had a CM who moves the ball as intelligently and in such a 'non-english' way as Westwood. Front three is fairly settled, maybe Tonev alternating with Weimann/Gabs every now and then. Against slightly worse teams maybe we could go with a midfield 2 with Tonev in front like the match against Malaga, which would be very interesting to see, hopefully control the game more and be the proactive team, not the reactive one like we do when counterattacking against the Arsenals/Chelseas of this world. Salsa pretty much got it with his XI, IMO.

Offline supertom

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #13 on: August 22, 2013, 03:07:02 PM »
For me I'd keep the team largely as is. Long run I'd see Okore as first choice ahead of probably Clark/Baker. Also I'd see Sylla potentially forcing KEA out the side again, but if you look at the opening two games, Westwood has been the poorest of the mid-3 so far. That said he's the best player we have to just sit deep and link everything together.

Against Liverpool I'd be tempted to drop Wiemann and give Tonev a game. Andy should have put away a couple at Chelsea. He also had a good chance at Arsenal but couldn't get a clean strike on it. He's expended a hell of a lot of energy too. I'd rest him for that, then play him up top at Rotherham, to give him the chance to bag a couple of goals. As for Tonev, he clearly works hard so we wouldn't lose too much of Andy's industry, plus we'd have a threat from set pieces and potentially good delivery from wide for Benteke.

What we do have now though is genuine competition.

Online Monty

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Re: Your ideal starting lineup for Villa
« Reply #14 on: August 22, 2013, 03:23:46 PM »
Tom, it's blasphemy about Westy but I was thinking the same thing - it looks like it's just not clicking for him at the moment. If we were to bring in Tonev in place of one of the deep midfielders and go 4-2-3-1 like we did at the end of the Chelsea game, I'd bring him in for Westwood at the moment.

 


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