Aston Villa vs Sunderland Post-Match Thread

[silhillvilla]

Benteke should have hit the 6 yd box when Jack was busy getting past a man and to the line . Overall I was quite disappointed with benteke yesterday, his hold up play was poor , don't recall him having a shot .

[Legion]

First half, just over the bar.

[silhillvilla]

First half, just over the bar.

I'd probably nodded off .

[olaftab]

There were at least two defenders blocking his view. Benteke should have been attacking the six yard box.

That is how I saw it aswell.

Surely this is how they should be coached as well? Cross always driven in hard in the six yard box and attacked by forwards running toward the goal.

[tomd2103]

Benteke should have hit the 6 yd box when Jack was busy getting past a man and to the line . Overall I was quite disappointed with benteke yesterday, his hold up play was poor , don't recall him having a shot .

To be fair, he hasn't really ever been that type of player and seems to position himself more on the edge of the box waiting for the ball to be cut back.  Since Bent went out of the side, we haven't really had anyone in the box on the seemingly rare occasions when decent balls have been fired across. 

[supertom]

There were at least two defenders blocking his view. Benteke should have been attacking the six yard box.

That is how I saw it aswell.

Surely this is how they should be coached as well? Cross always driven in hard in the six yard box and attacked by forwards running toward the goal.

Bacuna hit a fairly decent cross along the six yard line toward the end of (I think) the Swansea game. Again, Benteke hadn't made the run and I think was coming from the flank and hanging back in the box (not open), but he went absolutely mental at Bacuna. This was shortly before the final whistle and continued after. Leandro made the right choice the to be honest. Sometimes you have to play the cross to an area and then it's down to your attackers to make the runs and get there.

[PeterWithesShin]

Manure game. The one thing Benteke doesn't seem good at is simple goal poaching. He'll rarely make the runs into the six yard box to anticipate a cross.

[tomd2103]

There were at least two defenders blocking his view. Benteke should have been attacking the six yard box.

That is how I saw it aswell.

Surely this is how they should be coached as well? Cross always driven in hard in the six yard box and attacked by forwards running toward the goal.

Bacuna hit a fairly decent cross along the six yard line toward the end of (I think) the Swansea game. Again, Benteke hadn't made the run and I think was coming from the flank and hanging back in the box (not open), but he went absolutely mental at Bacuna. This was shortly before the final whistle and continued after. Leandro made the right choice the to be honest. Sometimes you have to play the cross to an area and then it's down to your attackers to make the runs and get there.

Cissokho whipped two great balls across the face of the goal in the first half against Leicester, yet noone got near either.  The movement of our forwards in general is really poor. 

[Small Rodent]

To me the path we are following to make some sort of a proper Aston Villa team is like when you have a combination lock but you don't know the number to open it.   So you start with 0000, no that's not it, then 0001, no that's not it, then 0002 and so forth until you hope to open the lock 

A brilliant comparison.

[Goldie.7]

To me the path we are following to make some sort of a proper Aston Villa team is like when you have a combination lock but you don't know the number to open it.   So you start with 0000, no that's not it, then 0001, no that's not it, then 0002 and so forth until you hope to open the lock 

A brilliant comparison.

Both 0000 and 0001 would be highly unlikely though 

[Witton Warrior]

To me the path we are following to make some sort of a proper Aston Villa team is like when you have a combination lock but you don't know the number to open it.   So you start with 0000, no that's not it, then 0001, no that's not it, then 0002 and so forth until you hope to open the lock 

A brilliant comparison.

Both 0000 and 0001 would be highly unlikely though 

The problem with Lambert is someone could tell him the first two numbers and he would just keep going until he got there anyway - a bit like needing a No 10 and playing somebody wide who can actually cross a ball or take on a defender. Y'know like we all have been since he came here.

[silhillvilla]

To me the path we are following to make some sort of a proper Aston Villa team is like when you have a combination lock but you don't know the number to open it.   So you start with 0000, no that's not it, then 0001, no that's not it, then 0002 and so forth until you hope to open the lock 

A brilliant comparison.

Both 0000 and 0001 would be highly unlikely though 

1122

[brian green]

Au contraire Goldie.   I am something of an expert on combination locks because so many wannabe Stephen Hawkins graduate and leave their bikes chained to our premises while they go on to make large working for Bill Gates in California.   The commonest combination is 0000 because that is what the lock is set at by the manufacturer and Cambridge students being as idle as students everywhere never can be arsed to change the number.   Next most common is 0001 (minimum effort, one click clockwise) and 0009 (one click anticlockwise).   Anybody want a free bike?

[PeterWithesShin]

Stat pack

Carlos Sanchez and Ron Vlaar were the standout players against Sunderland when the post-match figures were analysed.

Sanchez and Vlaar came out on top in a range of categories.

Special mentions also to Tom Cleverley and Alan Hutton, who enjoyed good stats.

Sanchez was No.1 for passes with 85 successful from 89 in total. Delph was No.2 with 55 successful from 61 in total.

Delph was No.2 for attacking third passes with 19 successful from 23 in total. Sanchez was No.5 with 15 successful from 16 in total.

Sanchez was No.1 for chances created with two, alongside Cleverley and Christian Benteke.

Delph was No.2 for take-ons with two successful from four attempted. Benteke was No.3 with two successful from two attempted.

Sanchez was No.2 for ball recoveries with nine. Vlaar was No.3 with seven.

Cleverley was No.1 for tackles with six successful from nine attempted. Sanchez was No.2 with four successful from four attempted. Hutton was No.3 with three successful from three attempted. Aly Cissokho was No.5 with two successful from three in total.

Vlaar was No.1 for interceptions with seven. Ciaran Clark was No.5 with three.

Vlaar was No.1 for blocks with two. Hutton and Clark were No.2 with one.

Vlaar was No.1 for clearances with 12 successful from 12 in total. Hutton was No.2 with six successful from six in total. Cissokho was No.4 with five successful from five in total.

Charles N'Zogbia was No.2 for shots - alongside Benteke - with three in total and one on target. Leandro Bacuna was No.4 with one in total and one on target.

Hutton was No.3 for aerial duels with one successful from one attempted.

Cleverley and Cissokho were joint No.1 for fouls suffered with two.

Sanchez to Cleverley was No.1 pass combination in the match with 18.

[PeterWithesShin]

Skipper Ron Vlaar was happy with the commitment and effort on show from Villa in the draw with Sunderland on Sunday.

Villa picked up the point against the Black Cats after having Fabian Delph sent off in the second half.

Vlaar was happy with the haul in the circumstances - and, as a proud defender, he was also delighted with the clean sheet.

Asked whether it was a point gained rather than two points lost, he said: "Yes I think so.

"After going down to 10 men again we worked incredibly hard and I think we definitely earned a point.

"We even have chances to win it, so did they, of course, but we were a man down.

"Seeing the work ethic we've shown I'm pleased with a point and the no goals conceded.

"Of course you want to win and you want wins at home.

"But with what happened three minutes into the second half and having a game three days ago, we worked our socks off and I think we take a point."

Vlaar insists Villa are relishing 2015.

Asked whether there was optimism for the New Year, he added: "Of course.

"I think we've started to play better football.

"We have more patience on the ball and I think we try to play football more and more and that needs time.

"But I think if we develop and work hard the results will come."