collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Topics

Recent Posts

Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by john e
[Today at 10:03:39 AM]


Re: Ezri Konsa - Aston Villa & England by eamonn
[Today at 10:02:19 AM]


Re: Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers Pre Match by aj2k77
[Today at 10:01:26 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by LeeB
[Today at 10:00:03 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by olaftab
[Today at 09:57:10 AM]


Re: Douglas Luiz - Confirmed confirmed by chrisw1
[Today at 09:56:02 AM]


Re: Ezri Konsa - Aston Villa & England by john e
[Today at 09:55:13 AM]


Re: FFP by The Edge
[Today at 09:55:00 AM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Dean Smith - Confirmed  (Read 1521901 times)

Offline fbriai

  • Member
  • Posts: 2630
  • Location: Italy
  • GM : 31.01.2022
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10575 on: October 26, 2020, 02:18:37 PM »
For whatever reason, we seemed to set up our midfield against Leeds something like the below..
------------------Luiz
Trez, McGinn, Barkley, Grealish

McGinn sat a lot deeper next to Luiz against Liverpool, perhaps a bit further forward against Leicester but left of Luiz. That wasn't the case on Friday, where we set up similar to what we did against Fulham. It's a formation (2 x number eights) I don't want to see us playing for a while, Luiz is not superman and our full backs need more cover than what Grealish and Trez/Traore/AEG can provide. We need to be a lot more compact tactically, two sitting midfielders should always try and be goal side of the ball. Traore isn't ready for a start yet (and looks completely unsuited to the role he has been bought for tbh) so I wouldn't mind something like the following for Southampton. A lot more narrow but also support for the full backs to get forward and a change of role for Grealish. 


--------Luiz, Nakamba
McGinn, Grealish, Hourihane

We have options then to drop McGinn back one if required, bring in Barkley or Trez/Traore out wide. Another tactical change I'd like to see Smith considering if we are chasing a goal is a front three of Traore/Davis/Watkins. Davis can make the ball stick and Watkins is more than capable of playing wide left but again to keep two midfielders goal side of the ball.

I'd be tempted to go narrower against Southampton, bringing in Hourihane for Trez and setting up like this:

Martinez
Cash Konsa Mings Targett
McGinn Luiz Hourhane
Barkley Grealish
Watkins

Whereas in the past, the loss of width wood have been a big problem, now, with that front 3, I think it's less of an issue, as they are more than capable of playing in tight spaces.

Looks like you are right about Traore too. Still early days, but he might be more of a back-up for Watkins on what we've seen so far. Don't think we'll get a shift out of him in the way we do Trez.

Offline Drummond

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 28665
  • Age: 52
  • Location: My own little world.
  • GM : 10.10.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10576 on: October 30, 2020, 01:36:09 PM »
Interesting in the press conference today.

We left the game plan after the first goal went in. Hence being ripped a new one.

In my view, of that starts happening, you make a substitution, if for no other reason than to waste some time, but at least to get a new message out there or to hook the worst offender.

Online brontebilly

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9283
  • GM : 09.06.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10577 on: October 30, 2020, 01:52:18 PM »
Interesting in the press conference today.

We left the game plan after the first goal went in. Hence being ripped a new one.

In my view, of that starts happening, you make a substitution, if for no other reason than to waste some time, but at least to get a new message out there or to hook the worst offender.

He made a sub alright, Traore for Trez, which made the situation even worse on our right flank. Smith seems to try and abdicate his responsibilities as head coach to effect in game changes.

Online eamonn

  • Member
  • Posts: 29734
  • Location: Down to Worthing...and work there
  • GM : 26.07.2020
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10578 on: October 30, 2020, 02:20:44 PM »
Putting a lot (too much?) faith in his favourite XI.

Offline Three Spires Villa

  • Member
  • Posts: 1991
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10579 on: October 30, 2020, 03:15:10 PM »
We are still very much a work in progress. Our bench isn’t great, but I do agree we could use players differently and mix it up sometimes

Offline ozzjim

  • Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 29983
  • Location: Here.
  • GM : 30.08.2022
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10580 on: October 30, 2020, 03:19:43 PM »
Anyone would think we were bottom reading this thread.

Mings had a poor 45 minutes, Barkley didn't track as well as he could, Jack had a very indifferent night and Leeds got everything spot on, literally everything. I doubt they will play that well, with that intensity again this season, much like I doubt we will the way we did against Liverpool.

McGinn and Luiz deeper with Barkley pushed up suits us better, and actually gets McGinn more in the game too. Traore will be very useful against certain teams too, but we will have to pick and chose the games. Our biggest issue is probably our lack of plan B, although we are miles from where we were 12 months ago, so need to give it time.

Online brontebilly

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9283
  • GM : 09.06.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10581 on: October 30, 2020, 05:34:16 PM »
Putting a lot (too much?) faith in his favourite XI.

That, and a habit of even when plan a isn't working, sticks with plan a anyway. Smith has always been very poor with in game changes, like for like subs or no subs at all are a really bugbear of mine, but what galls me is his ability post game to succinctly dissect where things went wrong without a hint of taking any responsibility for not correcting matters in game.

Players deviated from game plan, well take a couple of them off then Dean and remind them who is in charge! We got totally stretched between the lines and left space for them to attack, well then Dean do something about it tactically, not a nonsensical Traore for Trez sub that made things even worse.

Online john e

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 19207
  • GM : 28.06.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10582 on: October 30, 2020, 05:40:33 PM »
I hope he plays the same team line up

Although I'm not bothered whether he plays Trez or Traore but that's not tactical I just wouldn't mind seeing what Traore has got

we have a quality first 11 but that's it once you start messing it weakens the team
We haven't got the squad yet to start changing things to much if at all

Offline OCD

  • Member
  • Posts: 32543
  • Location: Stuck in the middle with you
    • http://www.rightconsultant.com
  • GM : May, 2012
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10583 on: October 30, 2020, 05:53:43 PM »
Putting a lot (too much?) faith in his favourite XI.
Players deviated from game plan, well take a couple of them off then Dean and remind them who is in charge! We got totally stretched between the lines and left space for them to attack, well then Dean do something about it tactically, not a nonsensical Traore for Trez sub that made things even worse.

He may just not feel like he's got the options on the bench to do that yet. It's back to the earlier post about us being a work-in-progress and still being relatively early into that process.

Offline Steve67

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 12233
  • Location: Down south now. Born in Aston.
  • GM : 01.12.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10584 on: October 30, 2020, 06:01:21 PM »
Let's be honest, we still need another four or five players of decent quality to be competitive don't we?  Heaton and Wes to come back in, Traore in for Trezeguet but that's about it until the kids grow up.

Offline Toronto Villa

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 53920
  • Age: 51
  • Location: Toronto, Canada
  • GM : 22.07.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10585 on: October 30, 2020, 06:40:36 PM »
Anyone would think we were bottom reading this thread.


What it reveals is as supporters of this club just how fragile our own confidence is that one defeat into the season the dark clouds have re-emerged. We are punching above our weight right now. We will likely sink back a little but I believe we have shown enough across the past 8 games that we won’t be sucked into the relegation fight. We are still a few very solid players away from competing consistently in the top 8. If we finish 10th or 11th this season most of us at the start would have taken that and considered it a success.

Offline Drummond

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 28665
  • Age: 52
  • Location: My own little world.
  • GM : 10.10.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10586 on: October 30, 2020, 08:21:53 PM »
Don't get me wrong, I'm feeling positive about Smith and what's he's done to date,  was just a reflection on what he said.

Offline CT

  • Member
  • Posts: 7436
  • Location: Cheltenhamshire lalala
    • http://astonvilla.blogfootball.com/CT
  • GM : 11.02.2024
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10587 on: October 30, 2020, 08:39:24 PM »
I read one guy on twitter who put the four game winning run down to the appointment of Craig Shakespeare.

The same guy hammered Dean Smith for the Leeds defeat!

Offline Risso

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 84820
  • Location: Leics
  • GM : 04.03.2025
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10588 on: October 30, 2020, 09:01:35 PM »
Man U got battered off the park by Spurs, but to be fair to them, they have looked much beeter since then.  Smith needs to show he can put things right in a similar fashion.  I'm not that concerned, because if we'd scored with a couple of good early chances, we might still have won, even though Leeds overall were much the better team on the night.  Bamford will never play that well ever again.

Online eamonn

  • Member
  • Posts: 29734
  • Location: Down to Worthing...and work there
  • GM : 26.07.2020
Re: Dean Smith - Confirmed
« Reply #10589 on: October 31, 2020, 10:04:41 AM »
Bamford, a Noel Whelan for the selfie(sh) generation.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal