Matty Cash

[TheTimVilla]

Dortmund fans I know weren't that sorry to see Malen go, especially at that price. Mainly because he never tracked back. On the other hand, they loved Sancho, so what do they know?!

[RamboandBruno]

Konsa surely?

Probably but two changes for the sake of one again. Mings is going to have to play at LCB as that clogger Beto will bully the rest of them. Setup for Grealish to have a field day on that side with Kamara out too.

Konsa is, despite other flaws, one of the best defenders in Europe against players running at him, at one point he went something like 30 games in a row without letting anyone get round him. He's a perfect option to go against Grealish.

Does that stat take into account when we used play a very high offside line? Would his idiotic red card v Newcastle have even counted towards it? The game is full of these meaningless stats.

From what I've seen Grealish won't be standing out on the left sideline like he did v Man City. It's likely we will dominate the ball for starters but he will step off the left flank on their counters and target that RB/RCB/RCM space. Probably first time our trio will have played together too. My fear is whoever we have RB gets spooked early on, caught under a high ball (Konsa special) or gets a yellow, and they tuck in far too narrow afterwards. We can't afford to give Grealish time to get turned on the ball and run with it.

Then there's the other problem, when we have the ball. If you thought the Cash chop was bad, stick one of Konsa or Lindelof out there and maybe a clueless Malen in front of them and we might aswell avoid the right side completely. A pity Garcia isn't fully fit as often the best way to limit someone like Grealish is just to keep the ball away from him. Keep him running backwards.

Your judging Malen as clueless after what about three starts, one of which against Forest at home, he was excellent.
We’ve all got our biases, but you’ve had a massive grudge against Konsa since at least the beginning of last season and it permeates most of any analysis you provide.

Malen was clueless in his last couple of appearances on the right. Not just his fault, the team itself has been a mess, but he has to show something both in and out of possession.

Konsa has been in the main piss poor for 12 months. The metric mikes keep saying wait until he's back next to Mings. Except he's back next to Mings and as bad as ever. As much as he, and his supporters on here, like to blame everybody else for his failings the excuses ran out a long time ago.

Maybe a note to self…the weekly scoring system you inflict on us, doesn’t equate to fact.

Konsa is generally a really good defender who like most players, has the odd dodgy game.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Great goal he scored for Poland.

Which one, Darren, he's a goal machine, both certainly better than Konsa's? It's the Netherlands goal for me.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Great goal he scored for Poland.

Which one, Darren, he's a goal machine, both certainly better than Konsa's? It's the Netherlands goal for me.

That was a belter!
And shows what he can do when he's not being instructed to pass it backwards 99% of the time.

[ChicagoLion]

If he is being instructed to pass it backwards, that surely means that Emery does not trust him with the ball, this surely begs the question as to why after all this time is he still the first choice Right Back?

[Smithy]

If he is being instructed to pass it backwards, that surely means that Emery does not trust him with the ball, this surely begs the question as to why after all this time is he still the first choice Right Back?

Or, he performs the task Emery gives him exactly as he wants?  It is sometimes glaring the difference between the attacking intent of our left-back vs right-back, so I can only assume it's to instruction.  Maybe it's because Emery has less faith in his attacking abilities, maybe it's because he prefers an asymmetrical set-up - either way, if he wasn't doing what Emery wants, to a standard he expects, he wouldn't still be first choice six-windows into Emery's reign. 

Personnaly I'd love a more attack-minded marauding full-back with pace to burn, but I'm not sure that's what Emery wants on the right-side.  The left? Yes, he seems to like that profile there.

[paul_e]

It's the asymmetric thing.

When everyone is fit we play, broadly, a 4231 as our basic defensive shape and shift into a 325 in the final third.

We generally make this transition in 1 of 2 ways:
1. A midfielder moves forward and joins the front line, the other drops in deeper and the full backs act as wing backs. We usually do this against teams that counter with a long ball over the top.
2. The left back joins the attack and either the right back or a centre mid steps back into the 3. This is the more common version.

We do sometimes flip the last one and tuck the left back in but only when digne is playing and even then it's only really if we're targeting their left back to overload.

[eamonn]

He can't enjoy playing for us that much if his instincts are being curbed. Hopefully Big Ange comes in for him in January, takes him home and we Unai can manipulate a younger, more talented right back to play like a eunuch.

[Drummond]

Perhaps the issue isn't Cash, but with the player in front of him. If that player would cover more defensively, then Cash may get more opportunity to go forward. As an example, when McGinn is there, I think there may be more forward runs, but when Bailey was there, it was definitely less?

[brontebilly]

If he is being instructed to pass it backwards, that surely means that Emery does not trust him with the ball, this surely begs the question as to why after all this time is he still the first choice Right Back?

Or, he performs the task Emery gives him exactly as he wants?  It is sometimes glaring the difference between the attacking intent of our left-back vs right-back, so I can only assume it's to instruction.  Maybe it's because Emery has less faith in his attacking abilities, maybe it's because he prefers an asymmetrical set-up - either way, if he wasn't doing what Emery wants, to a standard he expects, he wouldn't still be first choice six-windows into Emery's reign. 

Personnaly I'd love a more attack-minded marauding full-back with pace to burn, but I'm not sure that's what Emery wants on the right-side.  The left? Yes, he seems to like that profile there.

That's my read of it too. But hence the problem of playing both Cash and Digne these days. Digne was worryingly off the pace v Brentford. Maatsen at least got into good positions v Palace but his use of possession was chronic. Maatsen isn't a good defender, you put a disinterested Rogers in front of him and Tielemans at LCM and we have a problem (worse again with Torres next to him) on defending counters on our left side.

Cash can get into great positions alright but his use of the ball is terrible really. The odd spectacular goal doesn't change things. I've noticed lately at the byline he just turns and whacks it off the defender, it looks like a tactic. Our set pieces count is very high but we rarely looking like scoring from them, or the long throws. So not sure why we seem to be playing for them.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

He seems to instinctively want to get forward but constantly checks himself, turns and passes back/sideways. Of course that's what he's been instructed to do...Unai wants us to keep possession at all costs.
I just find it frustrating that when there is something on he's not "allowed" to get forward quicker...and I hear loads of Villa fans around me criticising him for it!
I don't watch many England games but I watched the Andorra game and England reminded me of us...lots of possession but little creativity or pace...add quicker movement - as England did v Serbia and as we did last season v Newcastle, Man C, PSG etc and very simply, we are better.
IMHO.

[eamonn]

Villa have been compared to England on here quite a lot over the years! Not sure what to make of that...still, at least we're not Ireland.

[ChicagoLion]

I get the strategic use of fullbacks but it doesn’t explain why he chops back and passes sideways when players have made themselves available, if he is told not to pass it forward then I am pretty sure that that information would be imparted to the rest of the team.
So how is any one on the right going to do anything offensively if this is the way of playing.
It’s more likely that it has been drilled into him not to lose the ball, and therefore he takes the easy option because he is simply not good enough to do anything else.

[eamonn]

Yeah, good point. Why would we cut off a whole attacking flank?

Truth is the boy is a good worker but he's bog-standard, maybe not even on Fernando Nelson's level and would likely covet Nando's hair.

[ChicagoLion]

Yeah, good point. Why would we cut off a whole attacking flank?

Exactly.