Fox says sacking Lambert would be like flicking a coin??

[ChicagoLion]

In as much as the midfield has been a problem, it's not been a problem in Sanchez's department. He (usually) does his bit really well - it's just that nobody's moving ahead of him.

Occasionally you see Sanchez run with he ball and try to move it quickly and he looks like he can play a bit. But he seems to have this role of sitting deep and pushing it around slowly.
We have got loads of players that can do that but little else.

He is unspectacular on the ball, but he's more forceful in the tackle and a better interceptor than our other midfielders.

I agree and would like to see him do more of it, not just "sitting in" as they say

[silhillvilla]

My observation on Sanchez has been since he took on the DCM role in lieu of westwood results have worsened.
This also coincides with cleverly starting every bloody game too.
We looked better with westwood / KEA than we do with Sanchez / Cleverly , not that is saying much.
Point I'm trying to make is things are getting steadily worse.

[Clampy]

My observation on Sanchez has been since he took on the DCM role in lieu of westwood results have worsened.
This also coincides with cleverly starting every bloody game too.
We looked better with westwood / KEA than we do with Sanchez / Cleverly , not that is saying much.
Point I'm trying to make is things are getting steadily worse.

So, in your first post, you blame Sanchez.

[Des Little]

I think we all know where the problems start and end.  Seemingly only a select few don't, however ultimately it's only their view that matters.

[Damo70]

I tend to disagree about Lamberts +£4m signings. I'd say the record is indifferent
Vlaar is a crock
Benteke is looking like a one season wonder
Sanchez looks painfully slow and don't speak the lingo
Kozak ? Too soon to say

I entirely disagree with all of this. Mostly for the reasons Monty outlined.

Agreed.

Guzan, Vlaar, Sanchez and Benteke would be an excellent spine of a good side. They need a decent manager and a bit more quality around them. Can you imagine Vlaar next to McGrath, Teale, Ugo, Southgate, Mellberg or Laursen? Benteke next to Platt, Yorke, Saunders or Merson?

[PaulWinch again]

Sanchez playing defensive midfield has not made us worse at all, he's a good player. Our problems started way before then and our issue is our inability to score goals.

[silhillvilla]

Sanchez playing defensive midfield has not made us worse at all, he's a good player. Our problems started way before then and our issue is our inability to score goals.

He is so slow. He slows the ball down too much.

[Walmley_Villa]

He needs to be the water carrier, win the ball and deliver to a more 'creative' playmaker. He does slow our attacks down although to be fair does not have a lot of movement in front of him.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Sanchez playing defensive midfield has not made us worse at all, he's a good player. Our problems started way before then and our issue is our inability to score goals.

He is so slow. He slows the ball down too much.

Nonsense. Forgeting the Arsenal game where he had a real stinker, he's been our best outfield player for the last 5 or 6 games. His pass completion is in the 90s, he's been dominating the midfield, the problem is others around him are also covering his patch. WTF Delph thinks he's doing playing so deep, I've no idea. There are acres of space in front of him but he drifts back to take a pass and then either return it to Sanchez or try one of his Hollywood passes.

Delph is at his best when he's running with the ball for for some unknown reason (I can guess) he's not being used to his strengths. The less said about Cleverly the better but to lay the blame at Sanchez is ridiculous.

[silhillvilla]

It's an observation. He dramatically slows the ball down so you have to counter that with all the good work he does (which I've acknowledged ).
It's one of them.

[paul_e]

It's an observation. He dramatically slows the ball down so you have to counter that with all the good work he does (which I've acknowledged ).
It's one of them.

He slows the ball down whilst he waits for movement which doesn't come because we don't train players to move off the ball and make themselves available to dangerous areas.  Look how often Sanchez takes 2 or 3 looks and then carries the ball himself or passes back to a defender, it's ridiculous.  His poor game on Sunday was actually entirely due to him trying to do something different and spray balls in behind the fullbacks which clearly isn't natural to him.

The movement off the ball is why this 'new style' has always been a bit of "moving the deckchairs" exercise for a possession game to work at some point you need to find gaps and players standing still don't create those unless you've got a genius conducting things and all the players have supreme confidence in him.

Barca from a few years ago are a great example in both regards.  I said at the time when they were winning everything that Xavi was the key to it and their drop in form in the last couple of years has coincided with Xavi no longer being able to play all game every game (and ditto Spains fall from grace).  The reason was that he had the vision to spot where a gap may form and then play passes to open it up and all the team knew to follow his lead and move where he wanted them, he's comfortably the best 'conductor' in my time watching football, it was almost like he was playing on a board and playing 2-3 moves in advance.  On top of that Iniesta had/has a fantastic knack of sneaking into space all over the pitch and offering an option, he just seemed to be available all the time when they were really at their best under Guardiola.

[Clampy]

He dosen't slow the game down at all. He was awful on Sunday but I was watching him and he saw more of the ball than any other Villa player. Once he's played it, he makes sure he moves into space to get the ball again. It's what good players do. SillihVilla is entitled to his opinion but he's wrong. I can think of other players who are more deserving of stick.

[pauliewalnuts]

i've noticed on several occasions in even the short time that he has been here, that Carles Gil finds himself looking to play a ball into space where he'd reasonably expect to see one of our players moving, only to see nobody moving anywhere near it.

You see the same thing with Sanchez.

The likes of Sanchez and Gil are our best players, technically. If they look poor then it is almost always down to the fact that the rest of the squad seem to have been coached to play a different sport entirely, let alone a different way.

[Ron Manager]

He dosen't slow the game down at all. He was awful on Sunday but I was watching him and he saw more of the ball than any other Villa player. Once he's played it, he makes sure he moves into space to get the ball again. It's what good players do. SillihVilla is entitled to his opinion but he's wrong. I can think of other players who are more deserving of stick.

Quite right!  Sanchez is very watchable. He is a very good signing at that price. He covers for others all over the pitch.

[garyshawsknee]

i've noticed on several occasions in even the short time that he has been here, that Carles Gil finds himself looking to play a ball into space where he'd reasonably expect to see one of our players moving, only to see nobody moving anywhere near it.

You see the same thing with Sanchez.

The likes of Sanchez and Gil are our best players, technically. If they look poor then it is almost always down to the fact that the rest of the squad seem to have been coached to play a different sport entirely, let alone a different way.

I noticed that on Sunday with Sanchez, yes he had his worse game, but there was a point in the first half where he had the ball looking for a forward pass and there was no movement in front of him, so he gave a backwards pass and threw his hands up in the air. Gil has shown that he can find little areas of space, he shown more movement in the 2 games he has played than the front line has all season.