WBA v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[chrisw1]

The composure for Westwoods goal is superb.  He had three plays closing in very quickly, but nailed it.

That said, Longs goal was excellent too.  He always seems lively against us.  Very good player.

[Loxton01]

What a great game overall and unlike last year I think we are delighted to get a point this time.

Observations

1. The Diamond doesnt work. Why play two big lads up front and not get any crosses in. First half we were hammered down both flanks as Tonev and Sylla could not protect the fullbacks. This was poor from Lambert and I thought it was far too long before the subs came on.

2. Im not sure Benteke and Kozak works particulalry away from home. Kozak looked ok yesterday he was getting involved but I think Benteke wants to lead the line and not be in the hole.

3. Tonev should be an impact sub at the moment not a starter he is not up to speed with the premier league.

4. El Ahmadi looked better going forward and getting into spaces than just sitting - We already have Westwood for that job.

5. The subs changed the games -they couldnt cope with three of the players playing further forward.

6. This time last year we would of lost that 3 or 4 nil which shows the strength of character.

7. With the players we can buy currently we cannot go for 16th to 6th. This will take time maybe 3-4 seasons but I can see some character and when they play with some composure we are getting there.

8. After first 20-30 mins they rarely troubled us I can only recall one chance they had second half.

 

[supertom]

I actually thought Kozak did okay yesterday. He played better than Benteke. My problem with him mostly, is the way the team plays when he's on the pitch and what he can offer. His lack of mobility doesn't suit how we want to play, and how we generally play at our best.

I like him. He works hard, I'm just not sure he's Premiership standard. At least, he might have the potential at a club who can pass the ball and play it up to his feet, and offer the movement to be in and around him. Ever since Kozak has come in we've basically isolated the poor side and bombarded him with hopefully punts, or his team mates have tried to engage him in a game of head tennis. As already seen too, put him up against a half decent center half and he'll lose most aerial duels. Keep it to his feet.

Tonev is full of running, but has little variety. It takes the opposition 20 minutes to work out how he's going to play and from then on he's increasingly kept out the game. He's quick, he's direct, he will run at players but his touch isn't great so he's more of a player who'll knock and run as opposed to dribble at speed with the ball at his feet. Plus you know with Tonev that for better or worse, he's going to shoot every time he gets a yard of space. He's trying too hard at the moment. A bit of composure and a word in his ear from Lambert about when to shoot and when to pass and he'll be better.

For me, squaddie. A useful option on the bench.

The sooner we can revert back to the three up top of Weimann, Gabby and Benteke, the better. I'd also be tempted to bring Herd back into midfield and play Delph and Westwood/KEA with him. Westy and KEA together in the same mid does not work. They did save us the game but it doesn't hide the fact that both are incredibly limited.

[eastie]

While people are slagging off the starting line up, which I wasn't a fan of myself, we should remember it was an unchanged side from the last game, which we won.  The team that finished the game was a much better side and much closer to our best 11, but the three that came on were coming back from injury, so who knows if they had 90 minutes of football in them.

So I suppose he got the team wrong and the subs right.  And when there's a mixture of good and bad you get what we got last night - a draw!

One thing I did note is that Benteke seemed livelier when Gabby and Weimann came on.  If he had the choice, I think he'd like to play in a front three with them either side of him every week.

It was an unchanged starting line up to the Cardiff game yes, but the Cardiff game only really went our way after he changed things with Lowton at right back and bacuna more advanced.
Regarding benteke - I felt last night he looked well below his best and needs to score soon to get a bit of confidence .

[Tuscans]

I've have berated Westwood and others all season, and I'm not ashamed to say it. But if, and it's a big IF, why doesn't Westwood push forward more often, in that "Scholes" like position!? Personally he offers zero protection at the back and if he has that composure and technical ability to hot shots like that then I fail to see what harm it can do, seeing we have Sunderland at home and it doesn't look like anyone from midfield has 5 plus goals in them this season.

I would go for ....

                                              Guzan

Lowton                 Vlaar                           Clark                   Bacuna (Luna)


                                             El Ahmadi

                            Westwood                  Delph

Weimann                                                                            Agbonlahor

                                             Benteke


...vs Sunderland.

[Fasth56]

Is Lambert an idiot or a genius? Answers on an Irn Bru beer mat

Why does he have to be either?

What ? Did you watch the game ? The guy is clueless
That opening line up and tactics were a disgrace. We were very lucky not to be 5 down by HT.

Difficult to be 5 down at ht when they only had 4 shots on target the whole game. As bee said in earlier posts although we looked abject we forced more saves from Myhill than they did from Guzan.

Just read more posts and pws made same point earlier

[supertom]

Player ratings.
Guzan- 6
Nigel Reo Bacuna- 4
Concrete Ron- 7
Titus Baker- 5
Paolo Clarkdini- 7
Matthieu Westwood- 5
Didier Sylla- 5
Eric Djemba Ahmedi- 5
Franz Tonev- 5.5
Libor Ormondroyd- 5
Emile Benteke- 5

Gabby, Weimann and Delph- 6.

[eastie]

                       Guzan

Lowton      Vlaar.     Clark.  Baker(luna)


        Westwood.   Delph.     Kea

Bacuna.      Benteke.            Agbonlahor

[supertom]

Is Lambert an idiot or a genius? Answers on an Irn Bru beer mat

Why does he have to be either?

What ? Did you watch the game ? The guy is clueless
That opening line up and tactics were a disgrace. We were very lucky not to be 5 down by HT.

Difficult to be 5 down at ht when they only had 4 shots on target the whole game. As bee said in earlier posts although we looked abject we forced more saves from Myhill than they did from Guzan.

Just read more posts and pws made same point earlier

We should have been 4 down before we scored. Sessegnon missed two sitters. One was particularly bad. Almost Jason Lee-esque. Thankfully he wasn't having one of his good games in every five matches.

[Tuscans]

                       Guzan

Lowton      Vlaar.     Clark.  Baker(luna)


        Westwood.   Delph.     Kea

Bacuna.      Benteke.            Agbonlahor

Hmmmmm...I get that.

[CJ]

Beat me to it Supertom. I was just looking back at the match thread and Sessegnon missed 2 sitters (so not included in the shots on target stat) on around 20 & 30 minutes and I was relieved to get to half time just 2 down. Everything that can be said about individual players has been said, and I for one woke up this morning still feeling glad to get a point when we could easily have been watching their open top bus parade today. Also - as someone mentioned last night - a mention for Michael Oliver who reffed the game calmly and fairly at a time when most refs are getting pelters from all and sundry

[supertom]

Beat me to it Supertom. I was just looking back at the match thread and Sessegnon missed 2 sitters (so not included in the shots on target stat) on around 20 & 30 minutes and I was relieved to get to half time just 2 down. Everything that can be said about individual players has been said, and I for one woke up this morning still feeling glad to get a point when we could easily have been watching their open top bus parade today. Also - as someone mentioned last night - a mention for Michael Oliver who reffed the game calmly and fairly at a time when most refs are getting pelters from all and sundry

Baker frightened the bloody life out of me the whole first half. He seemed more assured second half, so whether a rollicking had anything to do with that, I don't know.

In truth though I'm delighted to mug them in the way we did. It's the exact opposite of the fixture last season when they mugged us. We should have been away and clear but we let them back into it with naive defending. They did the same. From their point of view, you shouldn't be conceding two goals like that. KEA had time in the box to put his finish away and Westy had time to take a touch and get his shot off.
Must say, 4 cracking finishes with all the goals. In that regard, going back to the boring discussion, it certainly wasn't a boring game. Painful at times, but not boring.

[supertom]

Next up I'd go:

                    Guzan.

Lowton     Vlaar       Clark      Luna (please)


.                     Herd
          Westwood   Delph

Weimann                            Agbonlahor

.                      Benteke

[Matt Collins]

I actually thought Kozak did okay yesterday. He played better than Benteke. My problem with him mostly, is the way the team plays when he's on the pitch and what he can offer. His lack of mobility doesn't suit how we want to play, and how we generally play at our best.

I like him. He works hard, I'm just not sure he's Premiership standard. At least, he might have the potential at a club who can pass the ball and play it up to his feet, and offer the movement to be in and around him. Ever since Kozak has come in we've basically isolated the poor side and bombarded him with hopefully punts, or his team mates have tried to engage him in a game of head tennis. As already seen too, put him up against a half decent center half and he'll lose most aerial duels. Keep it to his feet.

Tonev is full of running, but has little variety. It takes the opposition 20 minutes to work out how he's going to play and from then on he's increasingly kept out the game. He's quick, he's direct, he will run at players but his touch isn't great so he's more of a player who'll knock and run as opposed to dribble at speed with the ball at his feet. Plus you know with Tonev that for better or worse, he's going to shoot every time he gets a yard of space. He's trying too hard at the moment. A bit of composure and a word in his ear from Lambert about when to shoot and when to pass and he'll be better.

For me, squaddie. A useful option on the bench.

The sooner we can revert back to the three up top of Weimann, Gabby and Benteke, the better. I'd also be tempted to bring Herd back into midfield and play Delph and Westwood/KEA with him. Westy and KEA together in the same mid does not work. They did save us the game but it doesn't hide the fact that both are incredibly limited.

Very good post. Until you undid it all by suggesting we bring herd into midfield.

[Concrete John]

I really don't get this desire to see Herd back in the side?

I'd bring back Lowton and play Bacuna in midfield.