Aston Villa vs Arsenal Post-Match Thread

[ozzjim]

To approach the second half like that, at home, is an utter disgrace.
Bollocks to keeping the score down. We should have been in their faces, closing them down, forcing them in to errors, who knows, maybe we might have created a chance or two, bloody hell, we might even have scored!!
In the end that second half wasn't even a heavy training session for Arsenal, it was a complete stroll in the park.

I think so too. We were easily a match for them until the first goal and creating chances. The towel came in a bit too easily for me.

Sorry but what a load of bollocks. We may have to close the training ground because of this virus to get over it. 3-0 sounds like we got off light today.

[Toronto Villa]

We might still have lost with a full side. We did play Arsenal after all. But having a squad that is ill and lacking energy isn't going to help matters. It also fully explains why we chose to shut up shop rather than chase things after the break.

[PeterWithesShin]

The defeat was the first in the league suffered by Villa this season as a combination of Arsenal's first-half performance and a virus that had swept through their camp proved too much for them to handle.

Villa boss Paul Lambert had lost defender Nathan Baker and midfielder Ashley Westwood to the illness but said that, despite other players "not feeling the best", his side would "go for it".

The home side were initially true to his word as Gunners keeper Wojciech Szczesny had to palm a Fabian Delph shot around a post and then save a Ciaran Clark header at point-blank range.

But when Arsenal click into gear they are difficult to stop, which a stunned Villa found to their cost as they conceded three goals in quick succession.

[john e]

Wimps, Bert Trautmann played on with a broken neck etc.............

[Bully2345]

It explains a lot. There was no way we could play differently second half. We would have got smashed.

Take the medicine and move on

[Toronto Villa]

Wimps, Bert Trautmann played on with a broken neck etc.............

They don't make 'em like that anymore John. I walked uphill both ways going to and coming home from school. Snowed everyday too. Parents couldn't afford to get a coat or shoes.

[kippaxvilla2]

I'm going to allow the bug as a reason for this week.  It clearly affected us particularly with late changes.  Lambert was interviewed on sky before kick off and he looked worried as if he knew what was coming.

Having said all of that it does once again show that we simply no plan b once the opposition decide when they are going to score.

Sanchez early days they may be but I'm not positive about him at the moment.

[ez]

To approach the second half like that, at home, is an utter disgrace.
Bollocks to keeping the score down. We should have been in their faces, closing them down, forcing them in to errors, who knows, maybe we might have created a chance or two, bloody hell, we might even have scored!!
In the end that second half wasn't even a heavy training session for Arsenal, it was a complete stroll in the park.

I think so too. We were easily a match for them until the first goal and creating chances. The towel came in a bit too easily for me.

Sorry but what a load of bollocks. We may have to close the training ground because of this virus to get over it. 3-0 sounds like we got off light today.

It isn't bollocks. We had a great chance to take the lead. Their keeper had saves to make.

[Toronto Villa]

We did have a plan B which was given the circumstances to shut it down as opposed to taking a battering. Employing a different plan B while the team is feeling like shit wouldn't have had any affect and might have made things worse.

[SoccerHQ]

Was surprised Weimann was withdrawn at half time but turns out he had the bug aswell.

[rougegorge]

I'm going to allow the bug as a reason for this week.  It clearly affected us particularly with late changes.  Lambert was interviewed on sky before kick off and he looked worried as if he knew what was coming.

Having said all of that it does once again show that we simply no plan b once the opposition decide when they are going to score.

Sanchez early days they may be but I'm not positive about him at the moment.

Yes let's hope it was the bug, as for 20 minutes or so we did well.

Sanchez looks like he needs time to settle in. Unfortunately he did an impression of Djemba-Djemba today.

[Ron Manager]

At the match people were saying there was a flu bug which had kept Baker and Westwood out. Fair enough but why didn't Okore play? Is there something we are not being told?

We lost it for a few mins and paid heavily. In fact if Clark had put that easy header away we would ,in all probability still have lost. I think Lambert made a decision to stop a heavy defeat which could bring morale back down to last season's level.

He was probably right on this occassion.

Sanchez turned in a performance that equaled anything Paul Mortimer conjured up quite a few years ago, He was uniformly dreadful.

Still feel very optimistic,however. I think we are in for a much improved season.

[Toronto Villa]

it doesn't take much to affect the chemistry in a football team. If players are ill, and the manager is making late changes, plus players starting to feel ill during a high level physical sport then it derails even the best laid plans. We might still have lost today but the performance in all likelihood would have been very different.

[supertom]

I'm going to allow the bug as a reason for this week.  It clearly affected us particularly with late changes.  Lambert was interviewed on sky before kick off and he looked worried as if he knew what was coming.

Having said all of that it does once again show that we simply no plan b once the opposition decide when they are going to score.

Sanchez early days they may be but I'm not positive about him at the moment.

Yes let's hope it was the bug, as for 20 minutes or so we did well.

Sanchez looks like he needs time to settle in. Unfortunately he did an impression of Djemba-Djemba today.

First half an hour we did well, but it did seem as if we ran out of steam pretty quickly. We looked dead in the second half. No drive or energy on the counter.

[Legion]

I thought we were pretty good for the first 30 minutes or so then had a shambolic spell of madness where we fell apart badly in such a short period of time. I think containment was the approach in the second half.