Aston Villa v Manchester City post match thread

[ez]

Well that's the difficult games over. Let's get back to attacking football now. I seem to remember we played some this season.

[PeterWithesShin]

Looking forward to playing the normals again. Everton and Spurs might have good players and be decent sides, but Christ, at least you're in with a chance of beating them.

We've beat Everton away 3 times in 15 years. I would say there's a chance of a point, beating them is unlikely.

You could always look at the positive that we've left there with at least a point 8 of the last 10 league games.

[SoccerHQ]

Our home form is so incredibly poor. This is a big factor why I hardly go to VP even if I can get a cheap ticket like for today, what's the point your chances of seeing a win is something like one in five or six.

Looks like nothing's changed really. 4 home games, 3 games we've not scored in (nor really looked like scoring when you consider we couldn't even manage a shot v Newcastle), does anyone really expect that to significantly improve over the season even when we play weaker teams?

In a way I'm glad 3 of our next 4 games are away from home. Not easy fixtures but already this season we've won two away games so think it will be another season where we're better on the road than at home.

[rougegorge]

Did OK for the first hour or so but once they shored up the middle in the 2nd half it was one way traffic. The fact that we concede possession, and are also prepared to do so against nearly everyone,  let alone the champions,  means we have to run a lot more to chase, so players necessarily need to be fitter. We can't use the 'dead on their feet' line either as we play fewer matches than anyone else.

[Ads]

I think the home form will improve. We won't play sides as bad as Hull everything, but by the same token we won't keep playing the likes of Arsenal or Man City.

[SoccerHQ]

I think the home form will improve. We won't play sides as bad as Hull everything, but by the same token we won't keep playing the likes of Arsenal or Man City.

Already to get to just 10 home wins we need to win 9 out of 15, 14 if you factor in the annual Man. United testimonial.

It's a big ask for a Lambert counter attacking team.

I would like to think at least we won't lose as many as last season but looks like another struggle to see many goals.

[PeterWithesShin]

One frustration today was how often we had the opportunity to put it in a cross when we had players in the box and didn't.

[claret and blue blood]

Lambert took off the one player who had looked anything like scoring ( Zog) and at the same time took off Richardson who was doing a steady job on the left,then City did exactly what Leyton fucking Orient did and scored later in the game.This recurring theme of getting beat at home helped by our manager's tactics is very frustrating.I don't agree that we should accept defeat because it's one of the Sky 5,I didn't think City were that great ,yes Toure is class Nd basically win it for them,but our negative tactics helped them,Lambert worries the shit out of me.
A word on the most classless and obnoxious bunch of fans who were not heard at all till they scored,the only fans who piss me off more with their arrogance bear the name of the same city,what a horrible bunch.

[Ads]

Nobody is accepting or enjoying defeat, it's just not all that surprising to lose at home to Man City.

[PeterWithesShin]

I think the home form will improve. We won't play sides as bad as Hull everything, but by the same token we won't keep playing the likes of Arsenal or Man City.

Already to get to just 10 home wins we need to win 9 out of 15, 14 if you factor in the annual Man. United testimonial.

It's a big ask for a Lambert counter attacking team.

I would like to think at least we won't lose as many as last season but looks like another struggle to see many goals.

It's a big ask of any Villa manager to win 10 home league games as we rarely do it. Something like 3 times in the last 15 years.

[django]

I think there have been signs in the last few games that we have more in midfield than last season and we do look more solid at the back. The goals will come against teams where we can open up a bit.

I think we'll be alright this year.

[Ads]

I think so too Django and having Benteke up front to hold it up will help massively.

[ez]

Sorry but I thought in the circumstances we did well and an improvement on last year. Still missing the creativity in the middle but can't fault the boys for effort. Pluses were Benteke got half an hour, baker and senderos did well, Delph looked good in spells.

Footballs changed and not for the good. I'm afraid we just make up the numbers. Pretty shit I know but the way it is.

An improvement on last year? 

[Witton Warrior]

Sat in the Lower Holte for the first time in 5 years and enjoyed chatting with the folks in L4 immensely. They seemed to think it was "mad" in the Upper Holte. Occasionally.
First half was fair for us and Baker's tackle a highlight.

Second half thought we were alright-ish but you could see City upping the gears.
The substitutions seemed to kill any real forward play we had in the game and the Guzan > Beneteke axis re-appeared after 6 months.
Thought we were on for a point but you could see the first goal coming as soon as YYT took his second touch and shaped to shoot.

Don't feel as bad as I thought I would...

When do we play someone who is shit?

[pauliewalnuts]

Our home form is so incredibly poor. This is a big factor why I hardly go to VP even if I can get a cheap ticket like for today, what's the point your chances of seeing a win is something like one in five or six.

Looks like nothing's changed really. 4 home games, 3 games we've not scored in (nor really looked like scoring when you consider we couldn't even manage a shot v Newcastle), does anyone really expect that to significantly improve over the season even when we play weaker teams?

I agree, pretty much.

We hardly manage a shot on goal, we pretty much never boss the possession, and we seem to have every fault of the last season bar - possibly - the worst of the defending.

I am not basing that on games against Man City and Arsenal, but on the previous games. We seem to be no better at keeping hold of the ball than we have been for a long time now. It is horrible to watch.

Sure, we'll continue to have matches like Liverpool away every now and then, but to me, barring being tighter at the back, I don't see much change at all.

Yes, Benteke being back will help us, but I do not expect him to contribute much to us passing or keeping the ball better. He played in plenty of matches for us last year when we failed to do both, and in many ways, he made things worse as we ended up lumping hopeful long balls at him.

Sorry, I know it sounds miserable, but I really don't see - beyond the defence - much of an improvement at all so far.

I appreciate we took four points from these two matches, but against Newcastle, as you said, we barely managed a shot and they had 60% possession. Against Hull, we hung on to win, but yet again, not many actual shots on target, and they had 55% possession.

No wonder the crowds are so poor, this is yet another season of not being able to keep hold of the ball with any regularity - near the bottom of all the stats re passes completed, possession, shots, shots on target etc.