Line up and formation for 2021-22

[sickbeggar]

yeah don't like our start to the season tbh. promoted teams in their first games and then chelsea everton, man u  and Tottenham. Newcastle I guess should be a guaranteed homer

[Steve67]

We could do with the likes of Bailey, Buendia being all set and ready to hit the ground running.  I hope we don't waste our seemingly easier start with them not being ready.  Will be tough for them to come in for the September games.  Hopefully, we have another couple of players in by that point too though and that they are fully fit and ready to be used straight away.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Does anybody else it's going to take a while for us to settle down and get a regular team and consistency in play going? It's been a bit of unsettled summer for one reason or another, eg:

The Greasy Ratboy saga
Bailey being signed but not getting a work permit yet
Luiz being away in the Olympics
Buendia not playing much in pre-season because of injury
Seville friendly being cancelled
Last minute Ings signing

Yes

I am also worried that our midfield two will get walked through and we might start shipping goals. For all our central midfielders there is really only Nakamba capable of functioning in a two. For me we need to sell one or more of Luiz/McGinn/Sanson/Hourihane and buy more combative players that can play as a two, or we need to play a three and rotate Ings and Watkins.

[Des Little]

I’d imagine Hourihane will almost certainly be sold before the end of the window.

[Dante Lavelli]

Does anybody else it's going to take a while for us to settle down and get a regular team and consistency in play going? It's been a bit of unsettled summer for one reason or another, eg:

The Greasy Ratboy saga
Bailey being signed but not getting a work permit yet
Luiz being away in the Olympics
Buendia not playing much in pre-season because of injury
Seville friendly being cancelled
Last minute Ings signing

Yes

I am also worried that our midfield two will get walked through and we might start shipping goals. For all our central midfielders there is really only Nakamba capable of functioning in a two. For me we need to sell one or more of Luiz/McGinn/Sanson/Hourihane and buy more combative players that can play as a two, or we need to play a three and rotate Ings and Watkins.

What he said.  100%.  I fear that Smith will feel obliged to play all the recent players he has signed so the midfield will suffer.

[SoccerHQ]

yeah don't like our start to the season tbh. promoted teams in their first games and then chelsea everton, man u  and Tottenham. Newcastle I guess should be a guaranteed homer

No reason why the defence shouldn't be solid though. Konsa, Cash and Targett all had the summer off for a start. If it is I'd be disappointed with anything less than 7 points from our first 3 games.

Agree we need everyone available from September as that's a very tricky run of 5-6 games particularly away so hopefully we've worked out our best formation by then.

Don't forget though the top teams have had most of their squads all away playing international tournaments so it will take all of them until October-November to hit their stride. Man. City losing away to Norwich early on two seasons ago a good example of that.

[Ian.]

I think he will go for this

                       Martinez
Cash           Konsa      Mings           Targett
                           
                     Nakamba
                             
                       McGinn

    Buendia                         El Ghazi or Young
                 Ings       Watkins

[N'ZMAV]

Ings is a 9.

Any other position is stupid talk. He scores goals. End of.

[sickbeggar]

yeah don't like our start to the season tbh. promoted teams in their first games and then chelsea everton, man u  and Tottenham. Newcastle I guess should be a guaranteed homer

No reason why the defence shouldn't be solid though. Konsa, Cash and Targett all had the summer off for a start. If it is I'd be disappointed with anything less than 7 points from our first 3 games.

Agree we need everyone available from September as that's a very tricky run of 5-6 games particularly away so hopefully we've worked out our best formation by then.

Don't forget though the top teams have had most of their squads all away playing international tournaments so it will take all of them until October-November to hit their stride. Man. City losing away to Norwich early on two seasons ago a good example of that.

Yeah its just playing sides who've just come up makes me nervous especially away 1st game back in the Pl. I know that often doesn't work out, but one of those sides is gonna do okay-ish this season - I reckon Brentford personally with Norwich the whipping boys again and Watford maybe just surviving..  Our midfield is going to take a different shape this season although the reality is Bailey and Buendia haven't played for us yet and are unlikely to play 1st game so we're basically lining up as we would with an injured ratboy unless young appears in midfield - I don't know, maybe smith will totally swap it round. I agree a lot of the top teams will start slowly because of the Internationals but then a poor start from the likes of the City or Chelsea isn't likely to stop them being there at the end with their squads. I'm just worried it may take us a while longer than them to get into our stride so as it stands when we play the likes of Chelsea and Man United, their internationals will be back up to match fitness while we are still getting new players to adapt to how we're playing. Dunno, I may be wrong but i'm a bit worried.

[ADVILLAFAN]

I think 4-5-1 (or 4-3-3) is our best formation.

Think we are only contemplating 4-4-2 to squeeze Watkins in up front. Would rather we tried him in the left wing position.

[Drummond]

Have the Squad Numbers officially been released yet?

And I reckon we could play a 3-2-3-2 or a 4-3-1-2, maybe a 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

[nigel]

With Jack gone I think we will be able to change formation more easily, as and when.

With the squad we now have I can see a 4-1-3-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, even a 3-5-2

[kippaxvilla2]

Neither Watkins or Buendia will start on Saturday.  Because this being Villa their ‘minor’ injuries will keep them out until October.

[astonvilla82]

Guess which match Mike Dean is doing Saturday 😡

[cdbearsfan]

Toronto Villa, can you make a pre-match thread, please? You made the last one and we won.