Aston Villa v Norwich City Pre-Match Thread

[PGW]

KEA does look good on the ball but he does absolutely nothing with it....there is no creative spark in his game every pass sideways which to be fair isnt the end of the world but we dont have anyone else in side to create currently so i would leave him out in favour of someone like Bannan or Gardner if he were fit to add a creative guile to the side.

[pedro25]

I don't think we need two holding players in midfield, we just need to go back to what we did against Swansea and Newcastle and that's not give the other team anytime on the ball.

Another thing we could try is Holman just behind a forward, which would mean we could play a winger in a midfield with Bannan, Ireland and KEA.

Rather see nzogbia in the role behind two forwards , benteke and Weimann have shown good movement and nzogbia has the ability to create chances , a midfield of kea Holman and ireland behind them for me .

Albrighton and bannan ,at get their chance from the bench but in all honesty I'm not sure either of them are much more than squad players and they have failed to grasp the nettle several times when given their chance.

I would quite like to see Carothers on the bench as he has impressed me a lot when I've seen him , raw but talented and confident with it.

I can't remember N'zogbia creating one single chance for us since he's been here.  I mean, he surely must've done, but I can't recall it.  He gets the ball, his head goes down and he runs in straight lines.

Agreed, same with Ireland, it's very frustrating that the two players we have of genuine craft and quality in midfield/wide areas have shown so little under successive managers at Villa Park.  These were the players supposedly replacing the likes of Milner/Young/Downing and I believe if they brought with them their top form from their previous clubs we would be in nowhere near the same mess as we are now, we'd probably be a comfortable mid table side at least.  It must be difficult for PL to decide whether or not to stick or twist with these two, as it must be plain enough to see that a midfield comprising the likes of Herd/Delph/Bannan/Albrighton/Holman/Westwood and El Ahmadi will never be good enough to compete with the top half PL clubs.  If we could get Ireland and N'Zogbia on form, along with Bent, Benteke and Gabby, supplemented by KEA/Holman/Bannan etc I think we could improve considerably and look a lot stronger force.

I like to see a left footer somewhere in midfield but for me Bannan just shades it over Delph, so I'd go

Holman Ireland KEA Bannan
            N'Zogbia
              Bent
With Weimann pushing N'Zog hard for his place and Benteke probably just ahead of Gabby as Bent's back up.  Delph pushing Ireland hard for his place too.

[Mister E]

Do not understand the critism given to KEA. He is great on the ball has one of the best records of intercepting the ball and has great ball retention.

Same criticism that Petrov used to get ...

We dont't rate players like tis until they're absent and then we realise what we're missing.

[tomd2103]

I don't think we need two holding players in midfield, we just need to go back to what we did against Swansea and Newcastle and that's not give the other team anytime on the ball.

Another thing we could try is Holman just behind a forward, which would mean we could play a winger in a midfield with Bannan, Ireland and KEA.

Rather see nzogbia in the role behind two forwards , benteke and Weimann have shown good movement and nzogbia has the ability to create chances , a midfield of kea Holman and ireland behind them for me .

Albrighton and bannan ,at get their chance from the bench but in all honesty I'm not sure either of them are much more than squad players and they have failed to grasp the nettle several times when given their chance.

I would quite like to see Carothers on the bench as he has impressed me a lot when I've seen him , raw but talented and confident with it.

I can't remember N'zogbia creating one single chance for us since he's been here.  I mean, he surely must've done, but I can't recall it.  He gets the ball, his head goes down and he runs in straight lines.

Agreed, same with Ireland, it's very frustrating that the two players we have of genuine craft and quality in midfield/wide areas have shown so little under successive managers at Villa Park.  These were the players supposedly replacing the likes of Milner/Young/Downing and I believe if they brought with them their top form from their previous clubs we would be in nowhere near the same mess as we are now, we'd probably be a comfortable mid table side at least.  It must be difficult for PL to decide whether or not to stick or twist with these two, as it must be plain enough to see that a midfield comprising the likes of Herd/Delph/Bannan/Albrighton/Holman/Westwood and El Ahmadi will never be good enough to compete with the top half PL clubs.  If we could get Ireland and N'Zogbia on form, along with Bent, Benteke and Gabby, supplemented by KEA/Holman/Bannan etc I think we could improve considerably and look a lot stronger force.

I like to see a left footer somewhere in midfield but for me Bannan just shades it over Delph, so I'd go

Holman Ireland KEA Bannan
            N'Zogbia
              Bent
With Weimann pushing N'Zog hard for his place and Benteke probably just ahead of Gabby as Bent's back up.  Delph pushing Ireland hard for his place too.

Agree with what you say in the first paragraph, but I have to admit that I don't like the look of the midfield in your post.  Yes, all the players are decent on the ball, but they are also all pretty lightweight and would get overrun by most Premiership midfields.   I am also not too sure about Bent playing up front on his own and feel that Benteke would be more suited to that particular role.

Personally I would like to see PL be a bit adventurous and try something completely different.  I'd like to see  the following team in a 3-5-2 formation:

                    Guzan

       Lowton     Vlaar      Clark

Lichaj        KEA      Delph       Bennett

                  Holman

              Bent      Benteke

[Merv]

We're definitely missing a real class act in midfield but I think if we get the mix right, we'll be alright. I'd play a midfield three in a triangle, like so:

                                                   KEA
                                   Holman                  Bannan

I think Holman is more productive than Ireland, and Bannan better on the ball and more composed than Delph.

In front of that, I'd play an attacking three, like so:

                          Gabby/Weimann              N'Zogbia

                                                Bent/Benteke

[Monty]

I agree with that Merv, other than Zog having no competition for his place - in my view, he's one of the players who has the most to do to regain his place.

[pedro25]

Which ever way you dress up the team, wingbacks is a reasonable option, it's pretty galling PL didn't find the need to bring in a central midfielder with a bit of presence in the summer.  We were the 5th highest spenders in the country, shelling out about £21mill net but didn't come close to replacing Petrov, the Benteke money should have gone on a midfielder, we would be just as fine up top with Bent, Gabby and Weimann.  over the last 3 years we have now lost Barry, Milner, Sidwell, C Gardner, Makoun, NRC and Petrov from central midfield and replaced with Ireland, KEA, Westwood and some academy grads.  The lack of investment in this integral part of the team is clear for all to see.

[Merv]

I agree with that Merv, other than Zog having no competition for his place - in my view, he's one of the players who has the most to do to regain his place.

Yeah, there is that. I guess you could play Gabby wide left, as he often does, and Weimann on the right. But I'd start with CNZ tomorrow... given him a chance to establish himself.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Do not understand the critism given to KEA. He is great on the ball has one of the best records of intercepting the ball and has great ball retention.

Same criticism that Petrov used to get ...

We dont't rate players like tis until they're absent and then we realise what we're missing.
Quote

Glad someone else can see it. When Petrov was out we went to pieces in the middle of the park and our defence were under constant pressure. Ball retention is key to winning games. And makes the other team work harder. It also gives the defence time to organize themselves .........

[Matt C]

N'Zogbia created our best chance against Fulham did he not?

[Clampy]

N'Zogbia created our best chance against Fulham did he not?

Yes he did and although I'm not his biggest fan he's looked a bit better this season. He still needs to look up and stop running to players though.

[1874]

I think Zog has looked pretty good since he has been dropped from the starting XI. If Gabby has got a run in the team on the back of the Citeh game, then the same should apply to Zog .

[Percy McCarthy]

CNZ also did much to create Bent's missed chance v WBA.

[Rigadon]

Yes, he did (CNZ v Fulham).   It's just that my enduring mental image of him is him running into the opposing defenders as if he can't see that they're there.  Sometimes he manages to bundle his way through their legs somehow like a small child playing against a mens team.  I would love him to prove me wrong and smash some goals in like he used to to during the final few games of Wigan's season mind you. 

[Confusious says]

The main problem I can see is our lightweight midfield on most of this season,wish we had some
Weight and experience with it.Frimpong impressed me at wolves last year.
I wonder what Paul Lambert is feeling like now, facing his former club which he left not maybe on the best of terms. The Norwich fans will undoubtedly give him grief, I hope we no matter how the game is going show him that we are together and behind him and Aston Villa. Villa 2 Norwich 1