Aston Villa v Liverpool Post-Match Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Basically we need to win our next two games now.

[PeterWithesShin]

Just got back. More than decent first half, shit second half.

Fair play to Brendan Rodgers for joining in with the 19th minute.

[Toronto Villa]

We lost again for all of the same reasons we've lost other games this season. Stupid, stupid errors and a defence that isn't PL quality. We give the ball away too much, and why we play Bannan is beyond me. Today is shit, but if it is any consolation, and it probably isn't right now, lots of nuts things will happen between now and the end. Sunderland and Newcastle are in free fall and as far up as Stoke are not safe. Keep the faith (if you can) brothers.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Well that was bloody painful.

Lambert made the same mistake as the home game with Bradford, playing far too narrow which left no space for the strikers and easy for Liverpool to defend. As Brendan Rogers mentioned, as soon as we went to a diamond midfield they just exploited the wings. Too easy.

I can't recall seeing a match where it was so easy for the opposition to thread the ball through to the strikers, if Bent had been playing for Liverpool he'd have had a bag full. Problem was, we did nothing to stop it. Nothing! It's all well and good attacking gung-ho but we also need to bloody defend, close them down and get in their faces. Today we sat back and gave them far to much space and freedom to thread the ball through.

My other major concern is how much longer this team can keep picking themselves up to go again. After the equaliser I thought we looked disheartened, no fight, nobody prepared to run with the ball, too many simple and meaningless passes. Nobody, including the crowd who have been brilliant this season, had any belief. Very worrying.

Though not a big fan of Bannan, we needed somebody to go looking for the ball, somebody to always make himself available and despite his errors, as soon as he went off we looked pedestrian.

[citizenDJ]

We lost again for all of the same reasons we've lost other games this season. Stupid, stupid errors and a defence that isn't PL quality.

Not much to add to this, really. It's a cliche, but if they keep on doing what they've always done, they'll keep on getting what they've always got.

All season we've had some good attacking stuff, and scored some very good goals. All season, we've been really really poor at the back, and in midfield, and we've shipped a lot of awful goals.

[citizenDJ]

Lambert made the same mistake as the home game with Bradford, playing far too narrow which left no space for the strikers and easy for Liverpool to defend. As Brendan Rogers mentioned, as soon as we went to a diamond midfield they just exploited the wings. Too easy.

Indeed, and yet again revealing Lambert to be tactically very poor, in my view.

[andyh]

For all the flack Baker is getting, he made some fine last ditch tackles and blocks, at least 2 crucial ones in the first half.
But the fact we lost that game with a whimper is very disappointing.
Second half was like someone had turned a clock back 2 or 3 months.
No passion, no pace, no width, no movement.
Wiemann is becoming  a real pivotal player for us. The quality may not always be there but his effort is infectious, and the team always look better when he is on.

But, if I never see Bannan and Al Ahmadi in a villa shirt again, I really won't be too upset.

[PaulWinch again]

As I said if we go down it's our defence that will take us down. Baker, Clark, Lowton and Bennett aren't good enough defensively.

[neo_Villan]

Not great obviously. But at least it was still a close match which might hopefully sustain some element of momentum (just as the defeats to Arsenal/Citeh did). To be honest they sliced through us all game and it was no suprise when they equalised as they did. Should have been 2-1 to them even before the pen when yet another through-ball put one of theirs clean on goal. Absolute stupidity for the pen though and you just knew that word removed Gerrard would sweep it home. After his brilliant goal-line clearence, you just knew it wouldn't be our day. Ah well, Stoke next. I am always more confident for our away games anyhow and I don't see why there won't at least be a point in it for us. Between Guzan and Benteke for our MoTM I guess. I'll go for Tekkers as he didn't really do anything wrong whenever he got the ball. I also hope that Sylla plays deeper next to Westwood as he has offered fuck all in attack the last two games and we need someone of his physique protecting our calamatous back-line.

[KRS]

Obviously everyone is disappointed with the result, but this is one of the games I'd written off or hoping for a point at best so not at all surprised or too down hearted. This time next week the doom and gloom could easily be shifted to being more positive and hopeful again if we beat Stoke away (not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination). If results go our way and as to be expected next week then we'll be out of the relegation zone and closing the gap on a few other teams...

Chelsea v Sunderland
Newcastle v Fulham
Norwich v Swansea
QPR v Wigan
Reading v Southampton

...realistically we could be sat above Sunderland and Wigan in the table by the end of play next weekend.

Lets not forget its not where we are this week or next, but where we are at the end of the season so lets not get too depressed by to be expected defeats against the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea.

[olaftab]

If it goes to the wigan game them i have no doubt we will go down - these players lack the fight - we must get clear before the last game.

Really? Are we talking about same players who won v Reading and QPR after conceding early goals?

[PaulWinch again]

For all the flack Baker is getting, he made some fine last ditch tackles and blocks, at least 2 crucial ones in the first half.
But the fact we lost that game with a whimper is very disappointing.
Second half was like someone had turned a clock back 2 or 3 months.
No passion, no pace, no width, no movement.
Wiemann is becoming  a real pivotal player for us. The quality may not always be there but his effort is infectious, and the team always look better when he is on.

But, if I never see Bannan and Al Ahmadi in a villa shirt again, I really won't be too upset.

It's like I said though, it doesn't matter how good you are for the rest of the game the mistake Baker made was absolutely criminal and cost us the game. It doesn't matter how well you play if you make a mistake that results in us getting no points, because that's all that matters.

[barrysleftfoot]

 The problems are/were Westwood and Bannan in the middle of the park.A liability when we have'nt got the ball, don't close down quick enough, not strong enough, don't win the ball high enough up the pitch, and isolate the front 3 too much.

 I feared for today, and we actually played better than i thought we would , partic in the 1st half, but we are not going to be able to compete with Lplop atm.

[neo_Villan]

Basically we need to win our next two games now.

I think 4 points would suffice.

[eastie]

Obviously everyone is disappointed with the result, but this is one of the games I'd written off or hoping for a point at best so not at all surprised or too down hearted. This time next week the doom and gloom could easily be shifted to being more positive and hopeful again if we beat Stoke away (not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination). If results go our way and as to be expected next week then we'll be out of the relegation zone and closing the gap on a few other teams...

Chelsea v Sunderland
Newcastle v Fulham
Norwich v Swansea
QPR v Wigan
Reading v Southampton

...realistically we could be sat above Sunderland and Wigan in the table by the end of play next weekend.

Lets not forget its not where we are this week or next, but where we are at the end of the season so lets not get too depressed by to be expected defeats against the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd or Chelsea.

I take your point regarding expecting defeats against the likes of the Manchester clubs and Chelsea but Liverpool are nowhere near as good as them .

Saints have beaten man city , Liverpool and Chelsea in recent weeks - we never took the game to them in the 2nd half and rolled over too easily .