Aston Villa vs Arsenal Pre-Match Thread

[danlanza]

So, we are the only team in the World of football that doesn't need ball possession to win a game ?
Hopefully Benteke will scare the opposition so much that they will kick the ball into their own net 2-3 times every game.
How bizarre.

[Ron Manager]

Ha ha!

i-ron-ee!

Quite. I should read things properly.

[Mortimer82]

So, we are the only team in the World of football that doesn't need ball possession to win a game ?
Hopefully Benteke will scare the opposition so much that they will kick the ball into their own net 2-3 times every game.
How bizarre.

It is bizarre.

[dekko]

So, we are the only team in the World of football that doesn't need ball possession to win a game ?
Hopefully Benteke will scare the opposition so much that they will kick the ball into their own net 2-3 times every game.
How bizarre.

I cant find it right now but somebody on another forum posted a table with all of our games so far ranked in order of our possession %, and it is noticable that most of our wins were down the bottom (ie the less of the ball we had the more likely we were to win the game).  I don't think thats a coincidence either, as the only way we can seem to score goals is on the counterattack, running into space, which your more likely to get when you spend a lot of the time without the ball.  So it makes a degree of sense.

Like we've seen a million times though, its easy to counteract as all the opposition have to do is sit back and we can't break them down.  And as it invites pressure you need to have a good backline, which we don't with Vlaar out.  I have no problem with counterattacking being plan A for the time being, because it plays to our strengths, but we really really need a plan B.

[Dr Butler]

a mate said to me that you can have all the possession in a game... it's what you actually do with that possession that counts...

he supports Middlesbrough....

[Concrete John]

If we can win without the majority of possession, then I have no real issue with it.  However, while the possession stat doesn't really count for anything, it can be an indicator of other issues which, if not addressed, can become real problems.

And for me it's movement.

When playing on the break, you basically have more space to run into due to the opposition being committed to an attack.  This means our players can more easily get into a goal scoring position.  When not playing on the break, they have less obvious runs to make and need to be a bit cleverer, which they're just not, unfortunately.  I think we have players that can pass the ball well enough for us to keep it more, but not necessarily move so that we can keep it further up the pitch.

That may be stating the obvious a little, but when I see possession stats and think back to the actual game, it's more often the player off the ball who's to blame when we lose it and the bloke that gives it away usually has a real lack of options of what to do with it.

[pauliewalnuts]

The other thing about playing on the break is that space which John refers to as available for players to run into, the temptation to lump it aimlessly into that space is huge, which is where playing on the break becomes defending and lumping it long, hopefully, something we've done way, way too often this season.

I appreciate it is because we are pretty clueless at building passing movements or otherwise unlocking defences, but it's pretty horrible stuff to watch, and more than anything else is the growing habit I'd like to see us break.

[Smirker]

When we win 3-2 tonight, how will you lot celebrate?

Glass of Coca Cola and a Kinder egg for me I think. Then read a few chapters of the book I'm currently reading with some green tea.

So, we are the only team in the World of football that doesn't need ball possession to win a game ?
Hopefully Benteke will scare the opposition so much that they will kick the ball into their own net 2-3 times every game.
How bizarre.

 

[andyh]

The problem, for me, is that the team (and Lambert) seems to accept that this is the way we play, but its the ONLY way we play, against any opposition, home or away.

Its almost like the media decided this is the way Villa play the game based on the Arsenal game at the start of the season and the club have bought into it.

[JUAN PABLO]

I  remember my dad coming down the youth club to ask my If I fancied going down the Villa v Arsenal

now the older people on here will know more , it was a week night , maybe a Wednesday ? but we did not  get there to half time from Hinckley, now Im not sure but Arsenal were winning 1-0 at HT I think but I witnessed 5 goals in the second half and we won 5-1  , I think this is how it went , it was a bloody marvelous anyway .

those were the days

I remember it well, it was the same season 76-77, when we did Liverpool 5-1, we had a bloody good side back then, seriously doubt they`ll be on the wrong end of a 5-1 tomorrow night.

I remember the Liverpool coach passing us on the M6 before the game and we looked at Clemence and my dad said  he will have a back ache tonight picking the ball out the net , I just laughed back at him.     

[JUAN PABLO]

A bit worried about our next two games.

I think Liverpool game could be a repeat of the chelsea one . Suarez , Sturridge , Sterling , Coutinho and Gerrard against our defence , this one is the one Im most worried . We will lose both but this could be the one that really f**ks the season  if we lose 6-0 or something.

[Ads]

I do love reading week in and week out before games predictions of how we will get 7-1, 8-0 or 6-0.

[Mortimer82]

I do love reading week in and week out before games predictions of how we will get 7-1, 8-0 or 6-0.

We haven't faced Suarez yet, this is without their other players being a threat.

[Surrey Villain]

I do love reading week in and week out before games predictions of how we will get 7-1, 8-0 or 6-0.

We haven't faced Suarez yet, this is without their other players being a threat.

Suarez was in form when we went up there and won 3-1 13 months ago.  He didn't get a look in. Just one of those days I guess.  I still don't understand how we won when we were utterly outplayed.

[JUAN PABLO]

out of all the teams at the moment to play

I just think Liverpool away is not one of them  , I know we are looking poor against most but this could hit the confidence even more

They look like they can score on every attack and  even thou Suarez is probably for me best player in the world at the moment , I think Sterling will crucify Luna .

but hey , Im on the wrong thread.