Aston Villa v Liverpool Post-Match Thread

[eastie]

Team for Stoke RFC -

--------Guzan---------

Lowton Vlaar Clark Baker

Sylla.     Westwood Delph

Gabby                 Bowery
---------Benteke---------

Bowery instead of Weimann? I don't fucking think so.

I've assumed Weimann out with hamstring pull
Bowery in for extra height

Need to play to our  attacking strengths not worry to much about stoke - we need to let them worry about us.
Bowery shouldn't start just because he's taller than bent  or Weimann.

[PaulWinch again]

Decent 1st half , very poor 2nd half - really depressing.

Gabby shocking miss in the 1st half , bannan awful and total lack of fight and passion 2 nd half from the team - this is very very disappointing today indeed!

From where I'm sat it was a brilliant save rather than a poor miss.

Apart from that, I agree.

It was a bad miss.

[CJ]

First half played like a team who looked comfortably mid-table or better; second half played like a team already relegated - no passion, sloppy passing and, crucially, no leadership. Bannan should have been hooked off at half time - he is a liability and really doesn't offer anything positive. KEA and N'Zogbia pretty embarrassing when they came on. When Weimann went off (injured I think?) we lost what little drive we had. Missed chances also cost us - Gabby should have scored first half and Weimann should have got one second half when he shot over the bar.  There again they had chances and hit the post so it could have been worse.

Highlight chant of the day - "his teeth were offside, his teeth were offside, Luis Suarez, his teeth were offisde"

[eastie]

Decent 1st half , very poor 2nd half - really depressing.

Gabby shocking miss in the 1st half , bannan awful and total lack of fight and passion 2 nd half from the team - this is very very disappointing today indeed!

From where I'm sat it was a brilliant save rather than a poor miss.

Apart from that, I agree.

 

It was a bad miss.

He was 5 yards out whole goal to aim at ands hit it straight at reina - poor miss not great goalkeeping - reina didn't have to move.

[neo_Villan]

Basically we need to win our next two games now.

I think 4 points would suffice.

Not for me, Stoke are direct rivals and we have to take points out of the gap they have on us and we need to win our home games as well.

I think 4 points would keep us on course for the 38/39 points needed to survive. 6 points and we would be all but safe IMO.

[barrysleftfoot]

 Still would pick Baker over Clark every day.

 Taking into account they had Suarez in their team, i did'nt think Vlaar or Baker gave him many chances tbh.It was when they was running at the defence that we had problems.That is where Westwood/Bannan/Sylla should have defended better.

[Witton Warrior]

The chances we missed - Gabby 2 yards, Benteke off the line, Weimann over the bar
Them - Suarez 1 on 1, coutunhio 1 on 1, Johnson post.

We did enough up front to get a point today - the square defence is terrifying however - Liverpool seemed so much snappier with the ball but luckilly the final one didn't come off for them.

Thought the atmosphere was quite strange as well - good crowd but second half I could just feel us sinking into that mire of lost possession and half-chances going begging.

Midfield must not see Bannan again unless it is an emergency - Ahmadi - why?

Thank goodness there are only a few games left - I can't stand much more of this...

[nigel]

Baker's naivety/over-commitment cost us.

Taking off Weimann pretty much muted our attacking play.

Weimann was rubbing his hamstring as he went down the tunnel, so it was a necessary change.

[PeterWithesShin]

Decent 1st half , very poor 2nd half - really depressing.

Gabby shocking miss in the 1st half , bannan awful and total lack of fight and passion 2 nd half from the team - this is very very disappointing today indeed!

From where I'm sat it was a brilliant save rather than a poor miss.

Apart from that, I agree.

It was right in front of me as i'm Lower North, it was a bad miss. He hit it straight at Reina.

[paulcomben]

Having watched Stoke's godawful destruction of the beautiful game yet again at Goodison yesterday, a key point is the size and brute force of their players. Bennett, Bannan, Westwood and Delph might literally be squashed.

[neo_Villan]

Hope Clark is back for the Stoke game now. Thought Baker was the better CB but he and Vlaar were just completely awful. Lowton/Vlaar/Clark/Baker is a shite backline, but still the best we can put together for now. Clark being slightly less of a liability than Baker at CB and Baker being slightly less of a liability than Bennett at LB. Luckily we are facing one of the lowest scorers in the league next. No doubt having said that, they'll probably score 3/4 now.

Of the 3 central defenders I'm not sure Vlaar , Clark or baker are good enough to play regularly at this level- Clark and baker seem to drop huge changers regularly whereas Vlaar has looked average at best .

Lowton is the only one who should keep his place next season should we stay up IMO. Don't rate Vlaar, but since he is captain he probably won't be axed. So we should be looking for a physical pacy CB and a solid LB at the very least.

[Somniloquism]

The chances we missed - Gabby 2 yards, Benteke off the line, Weimann over the bar
Them - Suarez 1 on 1, coutunhio 1 on 1, Johnson post.

Add Weimann off the line for when the ball fell to him first half and Gerrard shot for them.

[UK Redsox]

A couple of questions ........

What was the point of the Karim for Sylla substitution ?

Why didn't Villa go three at the back and push Bennett on as a left-winger for the last ten minutes ?

[UK Redsox]

As much as I dislike Gerrard, that was one hell of a piece of defending to clear off the line

[Somniloquism]

A couple of questions ........

What was the point of the Karim for Sylla substitution ?

Why didn't Villa go three at the back and push Bennett on as a left-winger for the last ten minutes ?

Sylla looked out on his feet towards the end of his stint.