Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield United Post Match Thread

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

We already have enough points to end the season above WBA and Fulham 

Not if Fulham do the double over the Albion.

[Pat Mustard]

We could have played much better, but got to be happy with a win against a team who had the advantage of playing last week. We looked very rusty at times, but will definitely improve on that and in the meantime have got 3 points in the bag.

Also, it’s right to say it would have been a different game if they had kept 11 men on the pitch - we might have been 1-0 up for a start!

[themossman]

Positives:

Martinez looks the part - imperious
Cash and Watkins also looked good
We did what we’ve struggled to do so often and made the most of an extra man
In fact sheff Utd are about the last team you’d want to be playing when they need to dig in with a man down, so credit where it’s due
We won without grealish having a good game

Negatives:

Turgid, boring football
SJM’s form is starting to really worry me
Some very poor fringe players still too close to the first team

[West Derby Villan]

1st game of the season against a well organised team playing their second. We looked a bit rusty but the defence, as said before, carried on from last season looking strong and assured. I thought SJM, Trez and Jack were poor by their standards but expect them too improve as the season progresses. Anyway 3 points and a clean sheet will do for me

[PaulWinch again]

I think the Egan challenge is a foul and a red. The thing is there’s no advantage to Watkins grappling, he wants to get free. So Wilder saying they’re both grappling misses the point - it’s Egan initiating the grabbling to slow Watkins. He also kept on holding on for a few seconds, if he hadn’t just held on for so long he would have got away with it.

[WRVilla]

I think last season we’d have thrown it away so I remain positive. Cash and Martinez had good games but Douglas was a class act. Always looking to make a positive pass and keep things moving. He looks tougher now too. We’ve got to get rid of that buyback clause - throw some money at City to get rid of it. Could be the best bit of business we do this window after Jack’s contract!

[dorsetvillian]

I'm a Uefa B level coach. One of the exercises we did when doing the badge was playing against 10 men who sit deep. You play wide to get behind teams and stretch the pitch.  Play quick and  keep the ball  moving quickly. Switch play to move the opposition and tire them. It's  obvious really, but just as last season in the same position we did none of the above. I find it incredibly at this level that Deano and his coaching team can't see that. Glad for 3 points, truly dreadful performance against 10 men.

[dave shelley]

A positive result which in itself should promote confidence and as we all know, confidence breeds confidence, we must push on from this.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm a Uefa B level coach. One of the exercises we did when doing the badge was playing against 10 men who sit deep. You play wide to get behind teams and stretch the pitch.  Play quick and  keep the ball  moving quickly. Switch play to move the opposition and tire them. It's  obvious really, but just as last season in the same position we did none of the above. I find it incredibly at this level that Deano and his coaching team can't see that. Glad for 3 points, truly dreadful performance against 10 men.

Makes sense, but I’d say expecting them to hit the ground running and ping quick passes around in the first league game is a big ask. In some ways this was probably the hardest game to play 10 men in.

[brontebilly]

Dreadful performance but got the win. Martinez made a great save from the penalty and looked very assured in air and with his feet. Very very little to get enthused about that aside. So much to complain about but our inability in last 15 minutes to find a colleague with a throw in really took the piss. Davis was standing about 10 yards from Cash each time but he couldn't seem to find him!

Some age old problems. Is there another team where three of the back four are at fault for a penalty? Smith using only one sub, somehow Hourihane first man off leaving McGinn and Trez to stink out the 90 mins plus. Targett remains a glaring liability on the left but wasn't helped by our captain deciding to play where he wanted in the second half leaving the left flank free. Even the pitch seemed a bit dry? Ball certainly didn't zip around.

Martinez 7, Cash 6, Konsa 6, Mings 6, Targett 3, Luiz 6, Hourihane 6, Trez 2, McGinn 4, Grealish 6, Watkins 5. Davis 7.

[London Villan]

It's the pace - when we did draw them out we didn't move the ball forward quick enough after we won back possession.

Great to start the season with a win though and two more winable games up next.

[mcgrath_85]

Very happy with the 3 points. They parked the bus and that’s very difficult to shift.
We wouldn’t have won that last season.
I really hope a left back is on the agenda to at least challenge but preferably start ahead of Targett.
I agree with the Mcginn criticism: he’s been poor for a while now and has had enough games since his injury to get back to where he was and he hasn’t got closed. A little worrying but hopefully he’ll crack on.
Konsa, Cash and Luiz were good and we might well have our best goalie since Brad Friedel in Martinez. What a debut saving from the spot!
UTV

[exigo]

It was like the pitch hadn't been watered before the game. Every pass just seemed so sluggish.
In fact, the game was so dull I spent far too much time trying to work out whether we'd slowed the pitch down for a reason.

[Goldie.7]

A lot of people saying there’s an over reliance on Grealish, but sometimes I think it’s his fault. I wish he’d just release the ball to a teammate who’s in a better position more often... Found myself screaming “PASS IT!!” at the telly so many times tonight.

I've been saying the same for months. There was one moment earlier where Watkins was using his hands to tell Grealish look "play me in" and what does Grealish do? He ignores it and heads towards 3 defenders.

[supertom]

We've been dire against 10 men for decades. So a win, relative comfort (albeit frustratingly tepid going forward) and a clean sheet is not to be sniffed at. As said, last season we'd have probably chucked a game like this away. Given we have a difficult opening set of fixtures, it was also important to win.

Most pleasing for me was Konsa and Mings working very well as a pair. Douglas continues to look very assured. If we can get another winger in, and get said signing or Traore into the starting 11 over Trezegeut, that will improve things. I like Trez, but he's a squad player, not a regular starter.
Cash looked promising. Martinez very assured. Watkins gave a few signs of his movement, but games like this are almost a death knell for a striker like him who thrives on getting space on a counter as Utd sat all bar one behind the ball. Once we went one up and they had to push out, he was finding more pockets. I think getting Davis alongside him in certain games will benefit him too.