Aston Villa vs Chelsea post match thread

[olaftab]

It's a pleasure to see a footballer not play the expected angled pass but play the unexpected turn and waltz past players like Gil did with Oscar. Almost worth the entry fee!

[hilts_coolerking]

To compare Kane with Benteke is like comparing Sammy Morgan with Andy Gray. Like comparing Ricky Lambert with Diego Costa. Bobby Zamora with Stan Collymore. Benteke is an amazing footballer not applying himself to the task Kane is an average footballer applying himself amazingly to the task at the moment.

If Kane was playing for us and doing what he's currently doing at Spurs you, me and everybody else on here would be praising him to the heavens and congratulating ourselves on what a gem we'd got.

[Monty]

Kane's the real thing, and looks like he could be every bit as good as someone like Mandzukic - and that's very very good. The thing about Benteke is that he could be even better than that, but at the moment an awful lot is going wrong for him.

[PeterWithesShin]

When did we last have someone with 22 goals for the season when it's still early Feb?

[Risso]

To compare Kane with Benteke is like comparing Sammy Morgan with Andy Gray. Like comparing Ricky Lambert with Diego Costa. Bobby Zamora with Stan Collymore. Benteke is an amazing footballer not applying himself to the task Kane is an average footballer applying himself amazingly to the task at the moment.

No, I don't think so.  Kane is going to be a great footballer.  At 21 he looks like a young Alan Shearer to me.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

There were a couple of times where Gil won a throw-in and just took it instantly, and it was like watching another team. Usually - and for years - wherever the throw-in is won we'd wait for the full-back to lumber forward, and by then everyone is in place and marked and the full-back takes thirty seconds to throw the ball straight to the opposition. It's unbelievably stupid.

I made the same observation when Gil made his debut. At times we really are our own worst enemy which all goes back to to lack of coaching. The same can me said for corners, remember back to the MON days where we only scored from corners or set pieces? One thing we do manage now is winning plenty of corners but then you see how the players line up for them and you know we don't have a plan other than to confuse the opposition and ourselves.

[PeterWithesShin]

And always bringing back everyone to defend a corner. And despite that still often getting caught out with short corners. Leave Gil or Gabby up so as the opposition have something to worry about and have to leave men back.

[SashasGrandad]

And always bringing back everyone to defend a corner. And despite that still often getting caught out with short corners. Leave Gil or Gabby up so as the opposition have something to worry about and have to leave men back.

This is the one simple change in tactics that would show a change of intent. It would reduce the number of opponents allowed to come forward and attack at corners so it really is a no brainer.  It would relieve so much pressure by allowing an option to clear the ball out of defense.

[Exeter 77]

And always bringing back everyone to defend a corner. And despite that still often getting caught out with short corners. Leave Gil or Gabby up so as the opposition have something to worry about and have to leave men back.

That is possibly the thing which annoys me most about current tactics - and it's not just Villa - leaving a player up takes another attacking player out of the box and gives an outlet for a counter. Yesterday Chelsea did leave a player forward as did Villa in Lambert's first few fsmes in the job.

[AlexAlexCropley]

And always bringing back everyone to defend a corner. And despite that still often getting caught out with short corners. Leave Gil or Gabby up so as the opposition have something to worry about and have to leave men back.

This is the one simple change in tactics that would show a change of intent. It would reduce the number of opponents allowed to come forward and attack at corners so it really is a no brainer.  It would relieve so much pressure by allowing an option to clear the ball out of defense.

This.Been banging my head on the seat in front of me every time we concede a corner.LEAVE SOMEONE ON THE HALF WAY LINE.Even two, or three.Maybe four.

[PeterWithesShin]

Gil would be the one i'd leave up. I can't imagine he's much use as a defender at corners, you can at least say Andi/Gabby/Benteke are some use in the air defensively, plus he has the skill to go on his own if it's lumped/passed out of defence.

[SashasGrandad]

Seems we are all in agreement about this - leave at least one player on the half way line - it will make the other team keep 2 players back to cover, plus their keeper, one of theirs is taking the corner, so that leaves 7 of them against 10 of our players.

If we can't work out these simple sums - somebody needs to do some extra homework

[dave.woodhall]

He's not the only manager to do it  - even BFR did and no-one could ever accuse him of being defensive.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

And always bringing back everyone to defend a corner. And despite that still often getting caught out with short corners.

Worse than that, yesterday I saw us line up to defend a corner and Delph was man marking Drogba (or Ivanovic) in the 6 yard box who was at least a foot taller. Maybe we have a lottery before games to decide who will mark who.

[olaftab]

Bringing everyone back for the corner is the classic tactics for playing counter attacking football. 2 or 3 of your players have no intention of defending but are in  position to start a breakaway attack. However our opponents can easily work this out and we are never quick enough to do it properly. BFR's team was very good at it.