Villa 5-5 Forest post-match thread

[timeoutbigbar]

if you play Hourihane and McGinn in a midfield two then eventually someone is going to work out neither of them can tackle. We’ve got away with it by working hard to track back but for their effectiveness going forward, neither Kodjia or Balsie provide the support the two in the middle need.  Unless we do something about that, it doesn’t matter who plays centre half when the full backs decide to play as out and out wingers.

[Matt C]

We’ve got an exciting but unbalanced side which we’ve seen in good and bad flashes throughout the season but tonight we had it all under a microscope for 90 minutes. The defensive issues aren’t purely down to the back four - they’re clearly not confident in the chaotic keeper they’ve got behind them plus tonight especially, they’re not getting anywhere near enough protection. Think it’s either Hourihane or McGinn, not both - if you’re going to play what looks like a front four with Grealish we need a more solid base.

If we can just stay in touch at the top with a couple of smart additions in January we’ll definitely be ‘there or thereabouts’

[Matt Collins]

if you play Hourihane and McGinn in a midfield two then eventually someone is going to work out neither of them can tackle. We’ve got away with it by working hard to track back but for their effectiveness going forward, neither Kodjia or Balsie provide the support the two in the middle need.  Unless we do something about that, it doesn’t matter who plays centre half when the full backs decide to play as out and out wingers.

It's not really a midfield two. It's hourihane sitting with McGinn and grealish as two 8s

I agree there's not enough protection. But I think this is how Smith plays. Brentford played woods or mceachran there. Hardly defensive midfielders.

The only way to make it work is to have tigerish closing down all over the pitch. But I think that will take time to get right, and isbprobbaly easier on a small pitch like Brentford's

[Villafirst]

Question is can we still be in touch at the top after December's tough run of fixtures? The injury list is growing and Jack is on a tightrope with 4 bookings.

[simboy]

What an entertaining game ... should have won, could have lost and at 2-0 down I would have taken a drawn every day of the week.

Having said that i think it’s pretty clear that the frailties lie defensively with the central midfield and that overloads the defence.

Hourine has had two really poor games in my opinion. His tracking back (or lack of it) cost us a goal on Sunday, and last night he went awol defensively. This leads to the opposition getting at us and into good positions.

 Nyland definitely at fault for the fifth (and possibly the fourth) but the Forest attack should have been cut out long before Axel deflected it past Nyland. The failure of a holding midfielder, any midfielder, to cut out simple runs cost us the three points.

However, the entertainment isn’t ending at kick off nowadays as it did so frequently under previous regimes ... long may that continue.

[Bad English]

Fucking hell!

[Ads]

Well we're scoring more and more goals so I don't see why not.

If we're not playing Adomah then we need Whelan or BB when fit as there is zero protection for the midfield.

Hourihane is desperately poor.

[sid1964]

Brilliant game - long may it continue, the game should of continued until it was decided by next goal the winner!

Abraham - got 4 - could of had 6

It is an understatement to state that the defence needs working on (the 4 of them were all over the place) - Nyland should be dropped for the next game - although I don't blame him for any of the goals last night, he just needs dropping for his own good.

[mr underhill]

I'd have preferred a 1-1, as  it would have showed the recent relative  improvement defensively was continuing. Clearly it isn't and the warning signs were there on Sunday. Fantastic entertainment , but not the way to get out of the division. December is going to define our season. If we are in touching distance of the top six then a few defensive additions should see us into the play off positions at least. I would have played Elmo right and Hutton left last night but Chester/Nyland are so awful at the moment  I don't suppose it would have mattered all that much.

[Villan For Life]

Now I’ve slept on it and I’m able to consider it dispassionately, last night’s result is showing how far we have come under Dean Smith.

Under a lot of our recent managers we’d have been dead and buried after going 2-0 down so early on. That we didn’t give up and kept at it and never gave up is heartening. Yes we need reinforcements in January but Smith is having a massive impact.

If we tighten up at the back and continue to score goals for fun then teams will genuinely fear us.

Out of interest when was the last time we scored 12 goals in 3 games?

[Ads]

2008.

We put 4 on Bolton, 6 on Derby and 5 on Small Heath. We were lucky in the last one of course.

[Villan For Life]

2008.

We put 4 on Bolton, 6 on Derby and 5 on Small Heath. We were lucky in the last one of course.

I hope it’s not another 10 years until we do it again. Somehow with this attack I doubt it!

[Holte L2]

I didn't go last night due to moving house on Monday and too much to go through! Absolutely gutted!!

[Villafirst]

Nyland at fault for the 4th and 5th goals. The long range shot from Lolley for 4th was in the air a long time, yet he seemed transfixed and didn't move at all. The 5th he simply didn't cover the near post correctly, just needed to be a foot over to his left - the ball wouldn't have got through at that angle. He's hopeless and costing us big time. I think Villa have conceded more goals at home (17) than any other team in this League. That is a shocking  statistic.

[Ads]

No the 4th was a joke the amount of time he had to move and shoot.