Aston Villa v West Ham United Match Thread

[Monty]

I don't think we've been as bad as we often are. We've tried to pass - just we get to the final third and all of a sudden everyone stops moving.

[peter w]

We only seem to find tempo, and purpose, when we go behind. Very much the problem, and positives, of a young team.

[citizenDJ]

I don't think the midfield is the problem today (ie I don't think it's Delph or Westwood or bacuna problem

It's another game where I can't see for the life of me what type of player Bacuna actually is. He's clearly decent, but where should he play? I don't think he's that good a right-back, and he always seems to get lost in a midfield three, and he's not quick enough to be an attacking midfielder.

I'd say he would be best as an out and out, Beckham-style right-midfielder, which we could use to reasonable effect, probably.

[ozzjim]

Tom Ince scoring shows what we missed out on. We have no natural width, and the 3 up front is fine if they stretch wide, but they don't.

[usav]

The only positive I can find is that we can't play much worse than that in the second half.

[Dribbler]

After that half i hope Lerner has the ink drying on that new contract for Lambert.

[Boz]

I fear that if West Ham score first we'll not be able breakdown 10 men behind the ball unless we get a penalty

[curiousorange]

Hell is having to watch this Villa, forever and ever.

[ozzjim]

I don't think the midfield is the problem today (ie I don't think it's Delph or Westwood or bacuna problem

It's another game where I can't see for the life of me what type of player Bacuna actually is. He's clearly decent, but where should he play? I don't think he's that good a right-back, and he always seems to get lost in a midfield three, and he's not quick enough to be an attacking midfielder.

I'd say he would be best as an out and out, Beckham-style right-midfielder, which we could use to reasonable effect, probably.

I think the most effective is behind the front 2, or wide in the front 3. But at the moment in a 3 man midfield we need a dominant figure with Westwood and Delph, Bacuna isn't that.

[PaulWinch again]

Bacuna really struggles with composure, but to be frank we have absolutely no idea in the final third.

[Deano's Mullet]

Albrighton destroyed these three years ago. Give him a game, Lambert.

[richard moore]

Same old usual rubbish

[Monty]

Westwood is playing perfectly fine, I think. His job is sit a bit deeper, play one or two-touch passes, spread it a bit, try and make interceptions when we lose it, and for me he's done that just fine. Delph's job is to be more aggressive, up-and-down, driving into space and so forth. Neither of them is really a final-third midfielder, but they're either being forced to try final balls from deep, shoot, or step into the attacking midfield position where they're not really comfortable. And Bacuna is really just a substitute Delph, not a final third player.

[eamonn]

Crying out for a spark. Get Albie and Gardz on, maybe a bit of young spunk will do the trick.

[pauliewalnuts]

We're passing better than usual, but we look utterly clueless as to how we can break them down.

We have absolutely zero width, either.

I'm also concerned at how often the full backs are giving them loads of space, Lowton in particular. If I were a betting man (or, more precisely, if I had more money to bet with), I'd have a few quid on Jarvis to score. He seems to be getting into a lot of space.