Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur Pre-Match Thread

[lordmcgrath5]

0-2 in a dreadful game. More wailing and gnashing of teeth.

[Billy Walker]

A high scoring game - Villa will come out fighting and win.

[rob_bridge]

It is Bent or Benteke for me.

May as well try CNZ (God it is that bad) and Grealish either side of Benteke and interchange

Sorry folks - after watching him for a long time Westwood does no where near enough for me.

Try a midfield 3 of Sanchez, Richardson and Cleverley

Defence - I hope either Senderos or Okore plays. Another game where Ciaran Clark plays in a Villa shirt is another game nearer the Championship.

[Monty]

I don't see any point in having Bent in the team. What's the use of someone standing in the box if our problem is getting the ball in there in the first place?

[rob_bridge]

I don't see any point in having Bent in the team. What's the use of someone standing in the box if our problem is getting the ball in there in the first place?

Agree - game v Orient showed him to be past his best.

Even when he gets chances he is no where near as sharp as he was 3 years ago.

[Fin Feds Dad]

0-2  (at least - could be 4 or 5).

3 x ''There's goals in us'' and 5 x ''We go again'' in another insightful Post Match interview with Mr Lambert.

Pitiful.

[rob_bridge]

If we lose, I hope Keane does the post match interview.

Don't want to hear unintelligible ramblings of Lambert anymore.

Unless of course we lose and he says '...Job is too much for me. Time to step aside and give someone else a go...'

[Ads]

Bent will get close to Benteke and that can be key. Look how it worked for QPR's very simple first goal and if you watched Austin, he stuck very close to Zamora throughout.

We need width in the side and it must be genuine width that stretches Spurs and tries tp get in behind and put balls in the box from higher up, rather than taking the easy option of slinging them in deep.

[Des Little]

A high scoring game - Villa will come out fighting and win.

It's a bit early for the cooking sherry isn't it old chap?

[supertom]

The supply line is the problem, however if we switched that up fairly radically, I think we could get some joy. If that were the case I'd be tempted to play Bent in front of Benteke, who likes to drop off. Bents doesn't look in great nick, but if he's got any chance of getting his sharpness and fitness back, he needs games. I'm fed up to the back teeth of Gabby and Weimann at this point, so I'm willing to give Bent a go, despite deep down knowing in my gut he'll probably be shite. But more shite than the other two? That would take some doing.

I'd go:

-------------------------Guzan-------------------------

Hutton------Senderos...........Vlaar..........Cissokho


---------------Sanchez.........Cleverley..................


N'Zogbia/Richardson.............................Grealish

.......................Benteke.................................

----------------------------Bent............................


I'd keep Hutton and Cissokho back largely to concentrate on defence, and just to offer a back ball if the wingers need it. Let the front four and Cleverley influence the attacking areas.

At this point too, I'd honestly be tempted to recall Robinson and give him a chance on the bench. Just a bit of exuberance and pace that Gabby seems to lack. He's no worse with the ball at his feet than Andi either. That won't happen of course.

On the bench, if we need to change, I'd be giving Bacuna a shot, out wide, rather than bringing on Cole for example, who just looks done and dusted. Gabby could play left wing if Grealish is struggling. But honestly I'd take Gabby out for 2-3 weeks and given him food for thought.

[Legion]

If you're going to play Bent you might aswell start with him and give him 70 minutes or so to get  into the game. He's hardly an 'impact sub'.

[supertom]

If you're going to play Bent you might aswell start with him and give him 70 minutes or so to get  into the game. He's hardly an 'impact sub'.

No I don't think he is either. It takes him too long to adjust to the game. I live in hope that Bent may just come good. Bobby Zamora looked finished at this level 2-3 years ago, and whilst 2 decent games on the spin doesn't yet signify an Indian summer, he's at least shown he can still influence a game at this level. I'm just hoping Bent can find some form again. Hoping, praying, black magic, making deals with the devil, etc.

[Monty]

4-4-2 is coming back in a way, but it's not coming back with the classic two-wide, two-central arrangement, and it's definitely not coming back with goal poachers. It's coming back with weird forms of the diamond and strikers who drift wide to support the full-backs. There's no place for Bent in this type of system.

[supertom]

4-4-2 is coming back in a way, but it's not coming back with the classic two-wide, two-central arrangement, and it's definitely not coming back with goal poachers. It's coming back with weird forms of the diamond and strikers who drift wide to support the full-backs. There's no place for Bent in this type of system.

If we had the right players there wouldn't be, but as for now we need to freshen things up somehow. Gabby has been utterly dreadful lately. Benteke's not fit enough to play by himself. Unfortunately even our best possible 11, whatever that might be, is going to include players that are either not fit enough, not good enough, or young and unproven.

I did think we should have approached the Rangers game with a diamond initially. But the more I think about that and how poor we look in central areas, I think wingers are the way to go. Our fullbacks overlap a lot and seem to be our primary creative outlet but their delivery is dreadful 9 times out of 10.

I'd certainly give Bent a go sunday in the hope he'll be fired up against Spurs. I think he'd love to get a goal against them as much as anyone. If it doesn't work I'd play Weimann, for workrate and the hope he can find the cohesion he once had with Benteke.

[JUAN PABLO]

Lambert will set up to hit on break again , he's useless with possession if they can even do that.

3 0 to spuds

Expect Salgado to score who has looked useless

And Lambert still to be here on monday