The Magnificent Aston Villa 3-0 Crystal Palace Post Match Thread

[ktvillan]

the only game we deserved to lose was the Leeds game.  We've beaten two of the top three, and battered several other teams. I think the only way we're going to nosedive is with a couple of key injuries like say, Jack and Ollie.

I don't actually think we deserved to lose to Leeds, it was very much falling apart after the first goal.  They were on top first 30 mintues, we were getting on top second 30 minutes. Grealish had a shot cleared off the line by Ayling and then that incredible run where we should have scored.  Either of those go in I reckon we'd have won.  Plus Bamford will never have a game like that ever again.

Southampton however, we deserved to lose due to our shite defending.

[Dave]

That was a total team performance. 
Hard to pick a Motm.
But I think Luiz for me just pips it. 
Do we HAVE to sell him back to Citeh if they want him?
Even if he wants to stay?

Yes. Unless we value him more than they do, and are willing to pay what they would ask to remove their option on him.

But given he's now what, a £40-50m player and they are pretty shoddy in the position he plays, I expect they'll value him just as highly as we do.

Sorry not sure I totally understand.  Are you saying we could keep him but it would be too expensive?

We paid £15 million and his value is far closer to £40 million now so - to remove that option they have - we'd need to pony up the difference.

But as Citeh are short in quality in that department (a clear case of neglect, with their resources) they are more likely to want him back with a view to playing him.

Is how I read it.

Quite. I've said before, I'm sure they will want him back and he will be a first team player for them next season. Rubbish, but we still come out of the deal well.

And if that is the case, if we wanted to pay to have the clause removed they'd probably be quoting a price in line with what it would cost to buy one of their first-team players.

If they wanted to buy him to sell him at a profit, I see no reason why we wouldn't just pay what they would get from another team. But I can't see why they would not just play him, given he's 22, better than anything else they have in that position and will probably be one of the best midfielders in the world in a couple of years.

[Smithy]

Just seen the reverse pass by Jack to Ollie and it does indeed take out 4 or 5 Palace players in one go. Incredible vision.

I've watched it back a few more times now, and another thing that I find brilliant about that move, and extremely encouraging for our longer-term prospects, is the run that Ollie makes. He makes the run seemingly confident Jack could find him even though he's going n the opposite direction, and behind Jack.  If you've got forwards making runs into places you don't think they could receive the ball, AND they're getting it, it bodes extremely well for your chances of scoring goals!

[Smithy]

That was a total team performance. 
Hard to pick a Motm.
But I think Luiz for me just pips it. 
Do we HAVE to sell him back to Citeh if they want him?
Even if he wants to stay?

Yes. Unless we value him more than they do, and are willing to pay what they would ask to remove their option on him.

But given he's now what, a £40-50m player and they are pretty shoddy in the position he plays, I expect they'll value him just as highly as we do.

Sorry not sure I totally understand.  Are you saying we could keep him but it would be too expensive?

We paid £15 million and his value is far closer to £40 million now so - to remove that option they have - we'd need to pony up the difference.

But as Citeh are short in quality in that department (a clear case of neglect, with their resources) they are more likely to want him back with a view to playing him.

Is how I read it.

Quite. I've said before, I'm sure they will want him back and he will be a first team player for them next season. Rubbish, but we still come out of the deal well.

And if that is the case, if we wanted to pay to have the clause removed they'd probably be quoting a price in line with what it would cost to buy one of their first-team players.

If they wanted to buy him to sell him at a profit, I see no reason why we wouldn't just pay what they would get from another team. But I can't see why they would not just play him, given he's 22, better than anything else they have in that position and will probably be one of the best midfielders in the world in a couple of years.

That, unfortunately, is my view too.  I suspect we'll try and buy out that clause at some point, but I just don't see City accepting an offer to do so.  Why would they? They don't need the money, and they could really do with a player like Luiz (who couldn't?), especially now he has proven himself to be a force at premier league level.

Perhaps the only thing in our favour is what the player himself thinks.  If he's enjoying his football here, and can see us progressing again next year, he already has his place in the Brazil squad, so he might be happier with a place in our 11, than in City's squad.  I'm clutching at straws I guess.

He'd be almost impossible to replace without spending £50m+.

[johnny from donny]

Just a thought, we may be contractually obliged to accept the offer of they activate the clause; Douglas, however, is under no such obligation.

[Ian.]

I really hope there is a way of snapping up Doug. Even if we have to break the bank and show our reveal our true wealth and ambition to the nation.

[Dave]

Just a thought, we may be contractually obliged to accept the offer of they activate the clause; Douglas, however, is under no such obligation.

Yes he is. In a deal of this type, his potential future Man City terms are agreed and signed at the time of his transfer to us.

[The Edge]

the only game we deserved to lose was the Leeds game.  We've beaten two of the top three, and battered several other teams. I think the only way we're going to nosedive is with a couple of key injuries like say, Jack and Ollie.

I don't actually think we deserved to lose to Leeds, it was very much falling apart after the first goal.  They were on top first 30 mintues, we were getting on top second 30 minutes. Grealish had a shot cleared off the line by Ayling and then that incredible run where we should have scored.  Either of those go in I reckon we'd have won.  Plus Bamford will never have a game like that ever again.

Southampton however, we deserved to lose due to our shite defending.

I agree with a lot of this but the Southampton game was not just down to poor defending. 3 out of their 4 goals were worldies. We could definitely have taken something out of that game but in the end it was just their day.

[Lastfootstamper]

Just seen the reverse pass by Jack to Ollie and it does indeed take out 4 or 5 Palace players in one go. Incredible vision.

It was utter filth, wasn't it?! It's reminding me of Platt/Cowans, almost like they're having their own little games with each other to see what's the most outrageous run & pass combo they can do. Like the one for El Ghazi's goal, Watkins almost teasing Grealish, "Go on, I'm two yards from the defender, bet you can't slide it onto my toe... ahhh bollocks, miscontrolled it".

[Chris Smith]

I really hope there is a way of snapping up Doug. Even if we have to break the bank and show our reveal our true wealth and ambition to the nation.

My, probably futile, hope is that they think their need is more urgent and buy a similar player in January.

[Allan C]

Ive not been this impressed with the villa in years!

I was firmly in the Dean out camp this time last year. Thinking he had 1 tactic and couldn't turn a game around. He's now learning and improving week by week. I'm very excited to see where we finish this season and if we splash the cash in barkley in Jan.

Great job to all the backroom team involved with villa too

Yes I must admit I was in the same camp but the combination of experience, better players to do what he’s asking and the players already there settling down has shown me that sticking with Smith was the right way to go. Just brilliant watching us play with a smile on my face again

[Dave]

Nice writeup from F365

“Few teams attack with that Villa verve… there might not be a more varied front line in the country.”

That was Matt Stead’s conclusion from Aston Villa’s 3-0 win six days ago. Such flair was evident again in another three-goal victory, though this latest triumph against Crystal Palace showcased more the incredible defensive resilience that Dean Smith has installed in the Premier League’s most-improved unit of 2020.

Villa achieved their fourth consecutive clean sheet, their eighth in 13 games of this campaign surpassing their tally from the whole of last season, to leave them only a single concession behind the Premier League’s stingiest defence, Manchester City.

In five months, Smith and his staff have transformed Villa from the second-leakiest rearguard to the second best. There is plenty of credence in the theory that it was achieved by moving Villa from the back foot to the front by surrounding Jack Grealish with the level of talent he deserves around him, but their latest shutout was testament as much to their new-found solidity at the back.

And it was achieved in the most part without the individual in the back four who most often catches the eye.

For a centre-back like Tyrone Mings, that should not be taken as a compliment. The England defender was in the spotlight yet again when he took Wilfried Zaha’s bait twice in six minutes just prior to the break. ‘F***ing embarrassing’ was Grealish’s immediate reaction, though his criticism for referee Anthony Taylor would be more apt if it was aimed at his dismissed team-mate.

Few defenders in Premier League split opinion like Mings. The 27-year-old, who has earned four England caps since his debut just over a year ago, has all the physical attributes to be one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s team-sheet and Mings has emerged as one of the leaders of this Villa squad. He has been an ever-present in Smith’s side this season, but for all his speed and strength, Mings cannot seem to outrun the air of calamity that too often descends upon him.

It didn’t matter today. Given Ezri Konsa’s form, you might put forward the former Brentford defender as Villa’s best centre-back and it was he who replaced Mings in the back four, at the expense of the first-half’s best player, Bertrand Traore, who opened the scoring, hit the post and carried the biggest threat.

For that, the credit should be spread further than the five at the back. Ollie Watkins sets the tone from the front and despite failing to score with 10 efforts on goal, his sixth goalless game in succession, the Villa centre-forward was a deserving recipient of the Man of the Match award. Grealish chases in tandem with Watkins, evidenced in the fact that he recorded a game-high seven blocks, while Villa’s defensive screen, John McGinn and Douglas Luiz, possesses a perfect blend of fight and flair.

Villa will need all their new-found solidity in the coming weeks. Their next five games see Smith’s side go up against Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton in the Premier League, with an FA Cup tie against revenge-seeking Liverpool sandwiched in the middle. But not for many a year have they looked better equipped to take on the big boys, which is a quite astonishing transformation.

Smith has received huge credit for making Villa’s attack one of the most exciting around and deservedly so. Even a man short, they were more adventurous and penetrative in their play than Palace. But the improvement at the back is worthy of even greater commendation.

Ian Watson

[saunders_heroes]

Just watched Match of the Day again this morning. Terrific performance all around and its difficult to pick out a man of the match. Tempted to give it to Grealish for that pass to Watkins alone.

[algy]

Just seen the reverse pass by Jack to Ollie and it does indeed take out 4 or 5 Palace players in one go. Incredible vision.

I've watched it back a few more times now, and another thing that I find brilliant about that move, and extremely encouraging for our longer-term prospects, is the run that Ollie makes. He makes the run seemingly confident Jack could find him even though he's going n the opposite direction, and behind Jack.  If you've got forwards making runs into places you don't think they could receive the ball, AND they're getting it, it bodes extremely well for your chances of scoring goals!

Was talking after the match with my brother-in-law, who's a Man Utd supporter on paper, but generally just likes watching football without being too partizan in any direction. He's sort of been following the Villa this season,  partially because I'm a Villa supporter and partially because of the way we've been playing.

Anyway, he couldn't stop talking about that pass for about 10 minutes or more. It was absolutely wonderful, as you'd said both the pass itself and the run from Watkins.

[rooboy316]

3-0 is a very impressive scoreline in any league. It shows total governance on the pitch  by one team. We have done that several times now this season. If we go back to our most recent successful era of regular 6th place finishes I don't remember so many 3-0 wins as we have already had this season.

I think that’s a really good point. We were functional under MON. It feels like there is more potential to do something special under this regime.

It’s one of the things I love about Deano. Pretty much all managers change the shape and sit deeper after going up a goal. We just keep playing the same way, and probably more effectively, as the game becomes more open.

Always wondered why managers didn’t take advantage of momentum/dominance in a game and keep pressing the advantage, instead of sitting back trying to defend a lead. I get you might concede a few more, but you also put games out of reach by pressing home the advantage.