Aston Villa vs Southampton post match thread

[SashasGrandad]

We lost a lot with Gabby going back to the wing, as well. They were always worried that a clearance could turn into through-ball again while Gabby was waiting in the centre-circle, but with him well back in our half and Bent lolling about like a seal they could push their line up really high and pen us in.

Spot on

Bacuna rather than Bent - and have him pick up Clyne and leave Gabby in the middle. Might have got a late breakaway to win 2-0 rather than 1-1.

[saunders_heroes]

There are probably only 2 or 3 clubs in the country who could shrug off being without their best centre half, their best central midfilder and their best centre forward plus 3 or 4 other injuries to important players. Those downplaying the significance are being unreasonable.

Last night saw us look competent in the most part against a form side. Taken in isolation it is a good point but it is so dispiriting to sit in the freezing cold in a half empty stadium and watch a side that is so limited in ambition. I am clinging to the hope that when we get Benteke back it allows us to play a different way by having somebody who can hold the ball up.

I hate to break this to you, but even with a full strength team we don't look much different to last night. Lambert ran out of excuses a long time ago.

[PaulWinch again]

Sorry Chris I salute your optimism, but the standard of performance we put in on a weekly basis is not acceptable. We've scored 6 goals all season and that's not just because Benteke has missed most of it. We are set up incredibly negatively. You could put Messi in our side and he probably wouldn't do much.

[brian green]

Agreed SH. Benteke comes back we play hoofball because we have no width. Delph is far more important to our output because our palpable weakness is across the middle of the park. Sanchez, Cleverley and Westwood are just not good enough. We are devoid of brain, guile, savvy, imagination, creativity and simple football intelligence in the midfield.

[Chris Smith]

There are probably only 2 or 3 clubs in the country who could shrug off being without their best centre half, their best central midfilder and their best centre forward plus 3 or 4 other injuries to important players. Those downplaying the significance are being unreasonable.

Last night saw us look competent in the most part against a form side. Taken in isolation it is a good point but it is so dispiriting to sit in the freezing cold in a half empty stadium and watch a side that is so limited in ambition. I am clinging to the hope that when we get Benteke back it allows us to play a different way by having somebody who can hold the ball up.

I hate to break this to you, but even with a full strength team we don't look much different to last night. Lambert ran out of excuses a long time ago.

Given our injury record of the last couple of years I don't think we have put out a full strength side since the last few months of Lambert's first season. It's by no means the whole story but they have severely hampered us.

For the first few games of this season we looked organised and hard to beat and while it wasn't particularly pretty to watch it was effective. Then we seemed to totally lose that sense of organisation during that tough run of games. I hope (and it is a hope rather than an expectation) that the last couple of results is a sign of us returning  to that previous level.

[saunders_heroes]

Every club in the land has tales of injury woes and we're no different. I haven't seen anything from any of Lambert's teams (injury hit or not) to suggest he's buiilding anything other than a team fit for a relegation dog fight.

[richard moore]

There are probably only 2 or 3 clubs in the country who could shrug off being without their best centre half, their best central midfilder and their best centre forward plus 3 or 4 other injuries to important players. Those downplaying the significance are being unreasonable.

Last night saw us look competent in the most part against a form side. Taken in isolation it is a good point but it is so dispiriting to sit in the freezing cold in a half empty stadium and watch a side that is so limited in ambition. I am clinging to the hope that when we get Benteke back it allows us to play a different way by having somebody who can hold the ball up.

I admire you for going Chris tremendously, but I really can't agree with your comments. We've looked no better when 2 out of those 3 players have been present. Get a new manager and things might be a bit better

[OzVilla]

At one stage in the 2nd half the tv showed a shot from the very top of the Witton Lane Stand. We had a goal kick and every single player was within a zone from the edge of the centre circle, not one player was occupying a wider position.

It just looked horrible, reminded me of an under 10's match tbh.

[Chico Hamilton III]

At one stage in the 2nd half the tv showed a shot from the very top of the Witton Lane Stand. We had a goal kick and every single player was within a zone from the edge of the centre circle, not one player was occupying a wider position.

It just looked horrible, reminded me of an under 10's match tbh.

Stop Bunching!!!!

[Chris Smith]

Every club in the land has tales of injury woes and we're no different. I haven't seen anything from any of Lambert's teams (injury hit or not) to suggest he's buiilding anything other than a team fit for a relegation dog fight.

I think you are wrong, the number of long term injuries we have had to key players is not run of the mill. It's not the whole story but it cannot just be brushed aside.

There are plenty of other problems such as team selection, approach to games and bad substitions to criticise but it seems fairly obvious that we are a better side when Benteke, Delph and Vlaar are available.

[saunders_heroes]

Every club in the land has tales of injury woes and we're no different. I haven't seen anything from any of Lambert's teams (injury hit or not) to suggest he's buiilding anything other than a team fit for a relegation dog fight.

I think you are wrong, the number of long term injuries we have had to key players is not run of the mill. It's not the whole story but it cannot just be brushed aside.

There are plenty of other problems such as team selection, approach to games and bad substitions to criticise but it seems fairly obvious that we are a better side when Benteke, Delph and Vlaar are available.

But still only fit for a relegation dog fight.

[kippaxvilla2]

Anyway I will be supporting my team at Burnley what will you be doing keyboard warriors?!  Oops wrong thread.

[brian green]

You really are sanguinity personified Chris. I don't walk to the pub from the Holte any more but I metamorphose from Mr Really Really Angry to looking forward to the cricket before I hit Charlies Chip Shop.

[bobdylan]

Agreed SH. Benteke comes back we play hoofball because we have no width. Delph is far more important to our output because our palpable weakness is across the middle of the park. Sanchez, Cleverley and Westwood are just not good enough. We are devoid of brain, guile, savvy, imagination, creativity and simple football intelligence in the midfield.

Quiz question, which is the weakest, our front 3 minus Benteke (Gabby, Weimann and N'Zogbia) or our midfield 3 without Delph (Cleverley, Westwood and Sanchez)?  There can't be much in it, they are both dreadful.  If we could get 5/6 mill for Vlaar in Jan I'd try and improve the front 6 before I thought about a new centre half as Okore, Senderos, Baker and Clark is a better pool of players than we have available for the midfield and forward areas.

[Ads]

The front three and midfield 3 look poorer than they are because of how they are set up.

Its like a table football team with the midfield at times.