Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Post-Match Thread

[Ad@m]

The other problem with playing Kozak is we hoof more then when Benteke is on.

We really don't, it just looks like we do because Kozak invariably loses us the ball whilst Benteke generally wins the ball and often brings it down.

I'm no fan of Bowery but at the moment I'd rather have him up front than Kozak.

[saunders_heroes]

Another thing, I can't be the only one who is sick to the back teeth of seeing away fans spilling onto our pitch in delight so often these days.

Have to agree, that is becoming A Thing.

I hate them being close to the touchline. I think we should restrict them to the upper tier.

But they've been there for a number of seasons now but it wasn't an issue till we become an absolute abomination at home. Give us a decent team and it'll soon stop being an issue.

[PaulWinch again]

If we play a narrow formation, we desperately need a creative midfielder and then it might work.

[eastie]

Paul Lambert gives his opinion.



Paul Lambert felt Villa were well in the game and on course for something after a stirring second half fightback - only to be undone by a clincher for Tottenham.

Boss Lambert was more than happy with the effort and application of his team in the tough encounter with the title-chasers.

He felt Villa were very much in the ascendancy after the break - with Tottenham leading 1-0 at that stage - and on course for an equaliser.

But Roberto Soldado doubled the advantage for the visitors as Andre Villas-Boas's men left B6 with all three points.

Lambert said: "I didn't think there was much in it. The last couple of times Spurs have come here and left with a pretty convincing result. But today it was a different game.

"There wasn't much in the first half and then we lost a goal when we were attacking. I think it's a cross and everyone has missed it.

"In the second half I thought we were in the ascendancy and looked like a team who was going to get it back.

"Christian had a chance with the header. It might have gone in on another day. Then we lost a goal.

"Sometimes you come away from a game knowing you haven't given it a go but I can't fault the lads for the way they went about it.

"Brad only had two saves in the whole game.

"I thought we looked the most likely second half. Everything was ready. We were in the ascendancy. We had a lot of the ball. But the second goal was disappointing."

Lambert also revealed he was never tempted to start with Christian Benteke, due to the lack of training in the build-up to the big match.

He added: "Christian has trained four days in month. It's unfair on him to expect him to right in from the beginning.

"He has only trained a couple of days with us and the same with Belgium.

"It was not enough to throw him into that magnitude of game. Plus I am happy with Libor. It was never an option.

"But he got half-and-hour and it will do him the world of good."

[saunders_heroes]

If we play a narrow formation, we desperately need a creative midfielder and then it might work.

Our formation is horrible. It's so narrow, yet whenever we do manage to get a player in a good position out wide we abandon him so he's left with 2 or 3 opposition players who surround and regain possession.

[PaulWinch again]

I think he's right that it was pretty even at half time. What worries me is that he doesn't seem to be aware of how badly we struggle to create chances.

[sirlordbaltimore]

The best way i could sum that performance up is that we continue to look like a lower league side playing against a PL team in a cup match. By that i mean it's all about graft and effort, huff and puff rather than any quality on the ball.

I don't know how anyone can enjoy watching us play these days, where is the football ?

The lack of actual quality in midfield (especially) is bewildering. There's no craft/guile or threat from the middle at all, Delph continues to get plaudits but all he really does is run around a lot. When there's a key pass to be made, or a need for a midfielder to burst forward to help the attack what exactly does he offer ?. And he's the best one we've got ... Add on to that our complete lack of width and it pretty much tells you where our problems lie.

I don't know what's happened to Weimann, but he looks awful compared to last season so far this. And i know Kozak has only been here 5 minutes but so far i've seen absolutely nothing from him to make sense of his signing

[Rudy65]

Lambert is deluded, but what else can he say to the media.

We continually sit back n the first half of home games, and then start playing when the opposition score. How about, having a go from the off.

I dont mind losing, I just want to have a go, particularly at home

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

The best way i could sum that performance up is that we continue to look like a lower league side playing against a PL team in a cup match. By that i mean it's all about graft and effort, huff and puff rather than any quality on the ball.

I don't know how anyone can enjoy watching us play these days, where is the football ?

The lack of actual quality in midfield (especially) is bewildering. There's no craft/guile or threat from the middle at all, Delph continues to get plaudits but all he really does is run around a lot. When there's a key pass to be made, or a need for a midfielder to burst forward to help the attack what exactly does he offer ?. And he's the best one we've got ... Add on to that our complete lack of width and it pretty much tells you where our problems lie.

I don't know what's happened to Weimann, but he looks awful compared to last season so far this. And i know Kozak has only been here 5 minutes but so far i've seen absolutely nothing from him to make sense of his signing

I think Delph makes the runs and drives the team forward when he has the ball, but it's the other players that don't go with him to give him the option to pass the ball to them. If he played for a better team, he'd be a better player for it.

[eastie]

I think he's right that it was pretty even at half time. What worries me is that he doesn't seem to be aware of how badly we struggle to create chances.

Also he says Guzan made only two saves but how many saves of quality did we force from lloris?
I thought spurs were good value for the 2-0 win unfortunately.

[saunders_heroes]

The best way i could sum that performance up is that we continue to look like a lower league side playing against a PL team in a cup match. By that i mean it's all about graft and effort, huff and puff rather than any quality on the ball.

I don't know how anyone can enjoy watching us play these days, where is the football ?

The lack of actual quality in midfield (especially) is bewildering. There's no craft/guile or threat from the middle at all, Delph continues to get plaudits but all he really does is run around a lot. When there's a key pass to be made, or a need for a midfielder to burst forward to help the attack what exactly does he offer ?. And he's the best one we've got ... Add on to that our complete lack of width and it pretty much tells you where our problems lie.

I don't know what's happened to Weimann, but he looks awful compared to last season so far this. And i know Kozak has only been here 5 minutes but so far i've seen absolutely nothing from him to make sense of his signing

Agree 100%.

[Legion]

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Lambert is deluded, but what else can he say to the media.

We continually sit back n the first half of home games, and then start playing when the opposition score. How about, having a go from the off.

I thought we looked better in the first half than the second apart from the ten minutes after Benteke can on.

[CJ]

They got a bit of luck with the first goal with the ball evading everyone, but their second was a well worked goal after Westwood had messed up. We harassed them well during the first half but only really looked like getting something from the game in a ten minute spell after Benteke came on, and the fact that their keeper only had one decent save to make all game speaks volumes.

Oh - and Phil Dowd really is a cheating cnut - consistently inconsistent decisions, and we should have had a blatant free kick on the edge of the box towards the end. Maybe true to form he thought it was inside the box and didn't want to give us a penalty and them a red card. Realistically it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game but just how much longer do we have to put up with this clown ruining games of football

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I thought Dowd was very generous in not sending off Westwood. It was a stupid challenge.