Emiliano Martinez - World Cup winner and officially best keeper in the world

[algy]

Cheeky comment from Garth Crooks on the bbc website, team of the week. Regarding Martinez, he writes...
The Argentine is looking every bit a top-four keeper and if he can't achieve it with Villa I suggest he does it with someone else.”

Interesting topic though... how many top four players we have: I’d say 2/3 in Martinez, Jack and maybe Konsa. Expand it to top six, and I think Mings might make it. Top 8 -10team, most of the rest, which is why we are where we are. So our next goal should be to add a couple of really top quality players to push on and become a top six club.

For me: Jack, Martinez, Mings, Douglas Luiz - definitely all Champions League quality. Konsa is approaching that level, Watkins I'd say is also quite close.

I'd say there's then a group of SJM, Targett, Cash, and Traore that look like decent squad players in a top 6 side.

After that, I think there's a bit of a drop off. Trez, El Goalzi, Heaton, Barkley - they're all serviceable mid table players but not sure they're much more than that. Nakamba, Hause, Ramsey (at the moment) are relegation fodder in a first team for me, but alright for squad players. Taylor, Elmo, Steer, Engels - I think they are probably Championship players.

I'll reserve judgement on Sanson and Wesley. Not seen much of Sanson, and Wes is injured.

I think we've got the core of a top 4/6 side now, but don't have anything like the squad depth required. That's great progress, although there's still more to do. Like to see us replace Taylor, Engels, Barkley, Nakamba and El Goalzie in the summer. Steer's fine as a third choice keeper and I'd be alright with Freddy filling in for Cash next season -- replacing those 5 seem the ones where we could start to make inroads in to the upper echelons.



Edit: worth saying that I rate Ramsey and see him as a longer term option. I'd just worry if he was getting regular games right now - I think regular subs appearances are exactly the right way to go about getting him in to the first team, with maybe an odd start later in the season if we've nothing to play for.

[JUAN PABLO]

Cheeky comment from Garth Crooks on the bbc website, team of the week. Regarding Martinez, he writes...
The Argentine is looking every bit a top-four keeper and if he can't achieve it with Villa I suggest he does it with someone else.”

Interesting topic though... how many top four players we have: I’d say 2/3 in Martinez, Jack and maybe Konsa. Expand it to top six, and I think Mings might make it. Top 8 -10team, most of the rest, which is why we are where we are. So our next goal should be to add a couple of really top quality players to push on and become a top six club.

Maybe Ollie Watkins is top 4 because every Leicester fan I know i gutted they didn sign him as they are in second place at the moment

[brontebilly]

Cheeky comment from Garth Crooks on the bbc website, team of the week. Regarding Martinez, he writes...
The Argentine is looking every bit a top-four keeper and if he can't achieve it with Villa I suggest he does it with someone else.”

Interesting topic though... how many top four players we have: I’d say 2/3 in Martinez, Jack and maybe Konsa. Expand it to top six, and I think Mings might make it. Top 8 -10team, most of the rest, which is why we are where we are. So our next goal should be to add a couple of really top quality players to push on and become a top six club.

For me: Jack, Martinez, Mings, Douglas Luiz - definitely all Champions League quality. Konsa is approaching that level, Watkins I'd say is also quite close.

I'd say there's then a group of SJM, Targett, Cash, and Traore that look like decent squad players in a top 6 side.

After that, I think there's a bit of a drop off. Trez, El Goalzi, Heaton, Barkley - they're all serviceable mid table players but not sure they're much more than that. Nakamba, Hause, Ramsey (at the moment) are relegation fodder in a first team for me, but alright for squad players. Taylor, Elmo, Steer, Engels - I think they are probably Championship players.

I'll reserve judgement on Sanson and Wesley. Not seen much of Sanson, and Wes is injured.

I think we've got the core of a top 4/6 side now, but don't have anything like the squad depth required. That's great progress, although there's still more to do. Like to see us replace Taylor, Engels, Barkley, Nakamba and El Goalzie in the summer. Steer's fine as a third choice keeper and I'd be alright with Freddy filling in for Cash next season -- replacing those 5 seem the ones where we could start to make inroads in to the upper echelons.



Edit: worth saying that I rate Ramsey and see him as a longer term option. I'd just worry if he was getting regular games right now - I think regular subs appearances are exactly the right way to go about getting him in to the first team, with maybe an odd start later in the season if we've nothing to play for.

Mings has played very well in the last couple of games but has had an average season at best. Only Martinez and Jack in that top category for me. Konsa and Watkins not far off. Luiz has dropped back quite a bit this season from his post restart form.

[nigel]

If you put our back four, plus Emi, behind a cherry picked midfield from the present top four, plus Jack and Ollie, you wouldn’t be far from winning the league.

[OCD]

If you don't have European games to contend with as well. Once you have that, you need a bigger squad to cope with the demands without the standard dropping.

[darren woolley]

Another clean sheet his thirteenth of the season brilliant keeper.

[ADVILLAFAN]

13 clean sheets out of 24 games is really something

[West Derby Villan]

Thank you Arsenal

[mr underhill]

The signing of the season bar none, as Jim Royale would say

[olaftab]

13 clean sheets out of 24 games is really something

That's an amazing stat and worryingly highlights underachievement in total points so far.

[Olof's Beard]

13 clean sheets out of 24 games is really something

That's an amazing stat and worryingly highlights underachievement in total points so far.

We left some points behind when we were free flowing earlier in the seasons (West Ham away, Burnley home and away spring to mind). Now the goals have dried up, the defence is really proving its worth. We've only scored once in our last three victories, in two of those games we scored in the first five minutes. The back five are in a great moment, you can see how much it means to them to defend those leads.

Conversely, when we do a ship one goal, we have a tendency to ship one or two more. In the 11 games where we have conceded, we've let in 3+ four or five times.

It just shows that we're making incredible progress at both ends of the pitch but aren't quite the finished article yet, quite understandably.

[CT]

Don’t know if I missed something with Emi? Saw him taking pain killers at Leeds and letting the CB’s take the goal kicks.

A few rumours here and there but assume he’s in for tomorrow?

[eamonn]

Groin injury but not enough to keep him out. Trained today,  has been abstaining from sex and will play tomorrow.

[Damo70]

Don’t know if I missed something with Emi? Saw him taking pain killers at Leeds and letting the CB’s take the goal kicks.

A few rumours here and there but assume he’s in for tomorrow?

I love the guy, he has been excellent for us. I think he has a groin injury but hopefully an injection and some strapping will help him through the game. However if it is better to rest him for a couple of games we should do that given the comfortable position we are in the league.

[OCD]

Groin injury but not enough to keep him out. Trained today,  has been abstaining from sex and will play tomorrow.

You normally only get insights like that from Footie.