Aston Villa v Brentford Post Match Thread

[Chris Smith]

I think we should also note that there were a number of midfield options unavailable last night, which while not excusing the second half performance does at least offer some mitigation.

[Clampy]

I thought De Laet was really good until he went off. Gestede showed that he's better coming off the bench (I actually forgot at one point  that he was on the pitch) and I was really impressed with Kodija. Westwood should out the team as soon as Tshibola is fit. He has no midfield presence at all.

[Chris Smith]

I think the problem with Westwood is that when the team are on top he can look OK by being available for the pass and keeping the ball moving. The difficulties arise when we get pushed back as he disappears.

[Ads]

Jedinak wins most things and has a genuine presence. He keeps it simple, but actually played a killer ball or two. He played on his own though, as unless Tshibola plays, we should have three centrally. We have no pace, drive or athleticism to move the ball forwards without him. I'd have Bacuna in there with a three as at least he can do something going forwards. Westwood and Gardner are utter mince.

Last night was truly atrocious. What makes it worse is that Brentford were poor in the final third. They created nothing save a Hogan back pass in the first half and a long range effort after they'd scored. Their crossing was awful and they applied no pressure in the final third. It wasn't wave of attack, it was nice compact shape when defending and sideways in front of us, no penetration passing, yet we panicked. That is down to RDM and his clueless set up.

4-2-4 was ridiculously unbalanced. Gestede is a bench player. Kodjia looks an absolute menace. Get him up top and play Ayew one side and Adomah/Grealish the other. You might get away with McCormack in the hole [don't bother, he'll out think us Saturday] if we have Tshibola in the midfield, otherwise, its either or on a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. Second half we declared against the might of Brentford. A club from a town the size of Halesowen. An absolute embarrassment.

[oldhill_avfc]

The main priority is to get the midfield sorted - everyone seems to agree on it.

Somewhat ironically the template, although a bit old fashioned, is equally know to all of us.

2 central midfielders, a workhorse on the right, flair on the left ... Number 9 up front with a second striker playing off him.

We've got the personnel, though sadly not quite as good as the ones who played this way before and a trophy or two.

[Monty]

We tried that 442 in the second half. That's what the second half was. And it was horrible.

[oldhill_avfc]

With the wrong personnel though.

Amavi looked unfit and poor.

Ayew is not suited to playing the wide midfield workhorse.

[PeterWithe]

I don't think I've been so pissed off at a result since the cup final.

We have now played 7 sides I haven't been at all impressed by and have amassed just seven points, it simply isn't good enough.

I thought the side looked unbalanced at the start and so it proved, the gung ho team selection wasn't matched by the tactics, if he wants to settle for a one-nil win then that's fine but set the team and the tactics to achieve that. In only one of Gestede's appearances for us(Rotherham) has he looked like he can hold the ball up, he can flick it on and attack crosses but he needs players around him, players he didn't get around him last night and it wasn't changed quickly enough. If you want to pack the midfield, fine, but don't pack it with fucking strikers.

If you take away the chest-thumping and goal-post headbutting, has Elphick actually improved us? Also, was that a typical Jedinak performance? I ask as he was impressive at influencing play when the ball was near him but he didn't look very mobile or energetic in getting about to impose himself.

If any of us kept making the same costly mistakes at work we'd be soon out on our ear but, come the last few minutes, comes a goal against us. I've been banging on about this for ages but they aren't fit enough, are more knackered than the opposition so lose concentration and concede late goals.

I like RDMs idea of attacking formations but he needs to get the defence and midfield right so the attacking players can shine, Kodja looks a find, imagine what he could do if he only had to beat one player to get a shot away rather than 6/7 like last night.

Useless.

[Chris Smith]

We tried that 442 in the second half. That's what the second half was. And it was horrible.

Perhaps that could be attributed to personnel rather than formation. Amavi's introduction did bring a small, temporary improvement but through the middle it was generally one paced and immobile and I think that was our downfall, their movement and flexibility just ran us ragged.

[PeterWithe]

Oh yes Amarvi's was a horrible performance, weak, slow and ineffective. I'll give him a pass given the injury though.

[darren woolley]

Disappointed again we throw away a lead in the last few minutes when will we ever learn.

[UK Redsox]

I wonder what level we need to drop to before we start winning games with anything approaching regularity.

Maybe Villa could play that team that Bromsgrove beat 13-0

[Monty]

No, Amavi was the supposed 'workhouse' defensive player and Ayew the flair guy (why does it have to be right workhouse and left flair? Because of Brenner and Morley?), and it was terrible. If they aren't the right players for those roles then we don't have anyone for them, cause they won't be better tbh.

Chris, being outmanoeuvred by Brentford at home isn't going to be helped by going to a formation from the eighties. It amazes me that people look at our squad, look at the performances, check the date, and say 'yeah, 4-4-2 with the workhorse and the rigidity and lack of ambition and the misery'. It won't work.

[Witton Warrior]

If you take away the chest-thumping and goal-post headbutting, has Elphick actually improved us?

We now draw games we would have lost last season?

[AVH87]

I said at half time we might be ahead, but we are playing like individuals rather than a team, and that's no way to win a game. Most teams in this league aren't mugs, they don't have as much quality as us, but they are willing to stick their necks on the line and all know their roles in the team and formation they are playing.

Playing 2 CMs against 3 regularly especially when ours are two from Jedinak, Gardner and Westwood who all lack pace and legs is laughable. 4-4-2 might work if Tshibola is one of the two and we have a bit more balance on the wings (not playing your £11m striker there, he should be upfront). If not, 4-3-3 with options from Jedinak, Westwood (will look OK in a 3), Tshibola and even Bacuna rather than the useless Gardner is the way to go.

RDM needs to sort out the shape and balance quickly, Xia quite rightly won't stand for months of the current crap, we don't have to worry about that. There'll be no Lerner/Lambert scenario here, you don't spend £50m to bumble around in mid-table with Burton and Brentford.