Aston Villa v Chelsea Post Match Thread

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Get rid of Smith.

How many more times do we get to watch him stand there, as things are quite clearly showing no sign of working, and do nothing?

To be fair, the Brentford fans did warn us.

[Five Villa Tattoos]

We have a shocking team other than Jack and Mings. (McGinn doesn't look fit)
Can anyone see us picking points up from anywhere the rest of the season?
All of our new signings have been awful and the manager should have gone in January for his tactics.
I know there's only a point in it but we need  two points and rely on West Ham and Bournemouth to keep losing.
Grim to say the least.

[PaulWinch again]

Luiz only bright spot

Yep he’s the only player to have played genuinely well in both games.

[hilts_coolerking]

Who can bring us back up?

Jack, SJM and Mings could.

No they won't. They'll be long gone.

That was kind of my point.  The three players who towered over the rest of the division last season won't be there to do it again.

[Toronto Villa]

Awful.

Smith needs to improve very quickly or go.

LOL what? Sorry mate, but that's just not happening at all.

[Aldridge Villa]

Luiz been our best player in both 2 matches in my opinion. All due to his defensive work. Speaks volumes.

[supertom]

Dire. We looked leagues apart from a Chelsea side that really isn't all that great. Some players completely hid. The midfield was entirely anonymous. I give McGinn a let off given he's coming back from a long term injury. He's been rushed back too soon and that's clear as day. He's way off pace, but what other options do we have? Hourihane was awful. Luiz wasn't afforded the luxury of time and space like he was against an awful Sheffied Utd side and went missing.

I give Targett credit because he seemed to be working very hard, and getting left isolated at the back when defending. He put in a shift and looked dead by the end. He's bang average but at least he tried.

Jack was way off pace. Flat footed, second to everything and aside from winning freekicks did absolutely nothing today. Has his head gone? As a captain he's not rousing the troops. The only one who usually does is Mings but even Tyrone doesn't seem to have the fire at the moment. Hause played okay.

As for Smith, his standard failings are there for all to see. Invite pressure and you know what'll happen. Chelsea by contrast, were always pressing our defenders high up the pitch when they had the ball. We're a piss poor side who can't string 5 passes together. Only Norwich look shitter than us. Yet Chelsea still pressed us. So we're playing a good side...why not press them and pressure them? The only times we got on front foot (rarely) came from pressing. Fucking press! I know it exhausts players a little, but we didn't do it from minute 1, to 95 for any length of time and Chelsea might as well have camped in our defensive third. There will only ever be one outcome. We went behind, we still sat back.

The fact Chelsea didn't go and absolutely batter us shows their own failings and why they're miles off being good enough to push City/Liverpool next season.

[Meanwood Villa]

A brief flicker of hope going in front but it was massively against the run of play and out of kilter with the rest of the game. In truth, we barely competed despite only losing 2-1.

[manic-road]

Massive gulf in quality today, needed fresh legs earlier today after spending most of the game chasing the ball.

[hilts_coolerking]

We have a massive inferiority complex.

Of course we do.  We've been garbage for years.

[Proposition Joe]

If the tactics were right today, then that was the wrong lineup.

If the lineup was right, then those were the wrong tactics.

Can't find any straws to clutch at after this one. It's not even like it was a good team, was Frank Lampard's Chelsea (tm), eminently beatable.

[olaftab]

Awful.

Smith needs to improve very quickly or go.

LOL what? Sorry mate, but that's just not happening at all.

I think we have already gone past go. Next thing for him is to collect relegation card.

[Risso]

I honestly can't see us winning another game. 

[dave shelley]

I firmly believe we missed the bus by not replacing Smith at Christmas, we then followed it up by not getting rid at the onset of lockdown.  Premier Leage football is non-forgiving, make a mistake, however minimal; you pay the price, and our owners plus CEO have erred big time.  Just my opinion.

[ChicagoLion]

We were very lucky to go in a goal up at half time.
We were being over run, any manager with a clue would do something to help the team out.
He did absolutely nothing and the inevitable happened.
It’s been the same all season, he should have gone after Southampton at home then Watford away.
Look at the league form since then.
We are down.