Manchester City vs Aston Villa Post-Match Thread.

[Axl Rose]

Jeez I’m glad there’s a break from all this now.

see you at Suncorp in less than 2 months 😁

**sighs**  Yep!

Me too, I reckon! If Japan will let me back in on return!

[Rudy65]

I really don't understand some of the comments on here today.  Am I disappointed by the turn around? - of course.  Am I surprised ? - no.  Partly yes because we are Aston Villa but surely everyone of knew that if City got one they would get two or more.  Its fine margins.  There are people ranting about Cash who was a fraction of getting a head to thst first, rants about Watkins and want him gone and yet he's scored more consistently than anyone else at the club over the last two seasons and has a record that compares well with strikers in teams many places higher in the league.  The almost end of the tether dismissal of Gerrard is also baffling.  This was one of the best teams in the country and we went toe to toe with them.  I'm disappointed we lost but I've felt a hell of a lot worse in the last 10 years about our prospects for next season.  Let's give Gerrard his pre season and new signings and the  judge but for now I'm not giving up.

Well said. We actually played really well and Coutinhio’s goal a thing of beauty. I watched it with a blue nose friend of mine, equality and diversity and all that, and he, with no love for Villa, was praising the way we played.

Ultimately its really disappointing but this is what teams that win the league do. But for a missed penalty they did the same at West Ham the week before.

Cash wasnt poor for the first goal, he misses it by centimetres, Martinez doesnt save the second goal, its placed in the only part of the goal it could go in. Luiz is slow out for the third goal, but its a brilliant cross by De Bruyne.

Rather than be negative and slate our players and manager, i see enough there to think with a couple of additions we’ll do really well next season.

A good balanced post. However a ‘couple of additions’ isn’t going to do it. This squad has consistently underperformed under two different managers. Needs far more surgery imo if we are to even to get in the top half

[dicedlam]

Get shut of Ollie Watkins the moment the transfer window opens. Honestly, it's embarrassing watching him try to control a ball.

He wasn't great today, possibly his worst game but blimey, stop being such an angry drama queen.

Not based on today, but all season we've seen that which Risso describes. I agree with him.

Misses so many good chances, poor control, anything requiring thought rather than instinct and he can't do it.

It's good reading him yesterday saying he wants to become deadly, but I just can't see how that happens.

Agreed. Love his work rate etc and he seems a lovely guy but if we use him as the main striker we aren’t going anywhere quick. Has got to me more clinical. If he didn’t have pace then no way would he be playing at this level

And this is the problem we have had at this club for years, not just this season. We have too many nice guys and not enough ruthless bastards.

I am sick of hearing after every Mings mistake this season that ''yeah, but he's a nice guy'' or ''I'm proud that he is my captain'' etc. Yes, I agree on Mings opinions on other things other than football, along with the work he does off the pitch, but I'm sorry, I want a ruthless bastard for a captain on it. The same goes for McGinn...a laugh a minute, the club clown, ''great to have around the place'' etc, again, I want a ruthless bastard patroling the midfield, not Charlie fucking Cairoli.

And as for Watkins, I'm sorry...He will never be a 'killer' in front of goal, not in a million years.


A new spine to the team is needed or it will be more of the same next season.

[ASHTONVILLA]

A lot of doom and gloom on the thread today, but I though we played well. Caused them a lot of problems and should have taken at least a point from them.

Gutted about the three goal collapse, but pleased we looked like a team that can cause problems and score against the bet team in the league. I am sure Gerrard is very aware of our issues in midfield, and our inability to protect a lead and will be making upgrades in the next few weeks. Kamara seems like the kind of player we need, so hopefully that will help us in games like this next season.

[Drummond]

It's funny that people think Mings isn't ruthless enough, because when we signed him people said he was too far that way. McGinn gets stuck in, he's not a clown. There are questions over leadership styles though, I agree. Young is in people's faces and does the ruthless bit well, he just isn't up to a regular 90 minutes.

As for Watkins, he's had an off season where he's hit double figures. I'm pretty sure he'll do better next season.

[Brend'Watkins]

It was unusual watching them play with no anxiety over the result. Almost like being a neutral supporter.  I fully expected us to lose. Even if we got a 3rd they’d have got 4. Even so, Watkins missing that great chance when through should have made it harder for them and Luiz’s “effort” in the build up to their 3rd are reasons why we need to improve our quality.

[LeeB]

A lot of doom and gloom on the thread today, but I though we played well. Caused them a lot of problems and should have taken at least a point from them.

Gutted about the three goal collapse, but pleased we looked like a team that can cause problems and score against the bet team in the league. I am sure Gerrard is very aware of our issues in midfield, and our inability to protect a lead and will be making upgrades in the next few weeks. Kamara seems like the kind of player we need, so hopefully that will help us in games like this next season.

This is the positive to take, having watched this and the Liverpool game the other week. We're in the game, yes we lost and can look at mentality and individual errors but we haven't spent all game with our backs to wall with our outfield players behind the ball, like the rest of the league seem to.

[avfc_1874]

Only got back home an hour ago. After e petting a 3-4 nil routine defeat that was very, very frustrating.

We stuck at it and played with rigour and nous for an hour but I always felt we would rue the Watkins missed chances. We were saying he just isn’t clinical enough but if he was he wouldn’t be at Villa.

I’ve just seen their goals agin and all 3 probably hit the same part of the netting. The second and third goals really showed the lack of defensive reflexes in the midfield 3, with Ramsey and Luik notably showing a lack of anticipation of danger. We did really well to hold out for so long and get a two goal lead but there was a notable lack of leadership, nous and shithousery to break their momentum. Absolutely infuriating.

Man City fans - they were surprisingly nervous in the pub beforehand, despite us lying down like poodles in front of them for a decade. They were noisy for 10 minutes and then quiet for a full hour - really quiet. Once they got to 2-2 though they were very loud, as you’d expect. They had a good number of eejits in front of the away end after the game trying to goad Villa fans in the lower tier. God knows why they weren’t celebrating a title win. Their victory allowed us a quick getaway but amazingly we encountered dozens of fans who were outside at the same time as us and for whom seeing a trophy presentation isn’t on their list of the top 3 things they want to see on a Sunday evening.

Just watched the vlog from that Villa on tour chap. Good grief those fans of theirs on the pitch are an embarrasment. Shows how small time they still are, despite their success.

[Villa Lew]

Losing 3 goals in 5 mins is obviously bitterly disappointing, but City, apart from Liverpool and Chelsea, are capable of doing this to any other team in the league. We've played 5 games in 15 days and City have had a week to prepare for this match, so fitness was certainly a factor in the last 15 mins.

Jury is still out much out re Gerrard, but he still has my full backing, it is his first season in the Prem. What he has done is made us hard to beat, other than against Chelsea and Spurs, we have only lost by the odd goal.

[Smithy]

Bringing on Nakamba totally changed the set-up - we had both Coutinho and Buendia in those pockets between the Man City lines until that point, and although they didn't see "lots" of the ball, their positions were causing a problem to City, and giving us the odd decent chance to counter. Tactically, I think Gerrard got it spot on - but once we lost those two 10s, it became a full-on defence vs attack training session, as Man City no longer had anything to worry about from our attacking play, or the positions of our attackers. 

Maybe Coutinho was knackered (the players do a LOT of running against Man City), and I can certainly understand the desire for a defensive substitution when you're 2-0 up, but I don't believe they get those 3 goals if we have Coutinho and Buendia occupying those 10 positions for the last 15 minutes.  Tough 20-20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Also, if Watkins scores one of his one-on-ones, at 3-0 I think it would have been all over. 

Yes, we lost, and in the worst way possible, but we were very close to beating the league champions, at their place, on a day where they needed three points to win the league.  I'm going to spend the summer feeling positive about the promise we displayed in the first 70 minutes, rather than awful about the performance in the last 20.

DM already signed, now we just need a top centre-half and a top centre-forward and I'll start getting excited for the new season!

[BC Villain]

We didn’t collapse.

They needed to win and have the mentality and players to attack tired players.

That is all.

Not always top teams that can  pull out a  result from nothing.  I seem to remember Leicester being relegated in a season where they got a point in a match they were 4 - 1 down in with 8 minutes left.  Who was it they were playing?  Oh yes, Aston Villa - the mentally weak

[Deano's Mullet]

And earlier in that season we lost a 3-1 lead against Wimbledon and lost 4-3. A 2-2 draw with Arsenal in 1996 stopped  us going top after we'd been leading 2-0. It's something that's always blighted us but then I am sure most teams have suffered similar.

[Hookeysmith]

[/quote]

Dunno about that, a team that’s was assembled at a cost of a billion pounds decided they were going to prove it.
[/quote]

Hear hear - i am sick of the media wanking over them and Pep - for the money they have spent they should win everything, every league, every cup, every season

Fuck me they spent more money than our most expensive player in our history on a left back (alledged) rapist who is not even playing football.

£100m on some player that cannot even get a game for them

Ideally we could of held on to draw, after a stunningly tactically aware performance, and 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' balls it up them selves by not winning.

I really think we are not far away and another bit of creative purchasing, Like Kamara today, and we will be significantly better next season

Get rid of the dead wood and add to a nucleus of

Martinez - one of the best in Europe if not the world (apart from kicking)
Cash / Digne - in the top 3/4 full backs in the league at present where there is some serious competition
Mings - i think with a tough CDM in front him will be much better
Ramsay - will continue to develop
Coutinio / Buendia  - loads of creativity
Bailey - i am sure a full pre season will bring the best out of him

 Not a bad starting point so i am positively looking forward to next season already

[Brend'Watkins]

Well, Gerrard will have a preseason to sort out our fragile mentality when under pressure.  Better quality will help it along and we're already doing something about that.

[Keeno]

Bringing on Nakamba totally changed the set-up - we had both Coutinho and Buendia in those pockets between the Man City lines until that point, and although they didn't see "lots" of the ball, their positions were causing a problem to City, and giving us the odd decent chance to counter. Tactically, I think Gerrard got it spot on - but once we lost those two 10s, it became a full-on defence vs attack training session, as Man City no longer had anything to worry about from our attacking play, or the positions of our attackers. 

Maybe Coutinho was knackered (the players do a LOT of running against Man City), and I can certainly understand the desire for a defensive substitution when you're 2-0 up, but I don't believe they get those 3 goals if we have Coutinho and Buendia occupying those 10 positions for the last 15 minutes.  Tough 20-20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Also, if Watkins scores one of his one-on-ones, at 3-0 I think it would have been all over. 

Yes, we lost, and in the worst way possible, but we were very close to beating the league champions, at their place, on a day where they needed three points to win the league.  I'm going to spend the summer feeling positive about the promise we displayed in the first 70 minutes, rather than awful about the performance in the last 20.

DM already signed, now we just need a top centre-half and a top centre-forward and I'll start getting excited for the new season!

+1, fully agree. Certainly how I feel about it the next day, as pissed off as I was immediately after the game. City were victims to the same kind of situation just a few weeks ago against Real Madrid.

With Kamara coming in this morning that has certainly already displayed the management team's ambition to solve some of the problems that were clearly on display the last 20 minutes and throughout this season.

Despite our mixed 2022, there have been some glimpses of a really good side. Crucially, problems that need to be solved - things like consistency and game management to see out matches for either a draw or a win - are fixable. This squad (with a few more additions) has the talent to be on a West Ham-like level - it'd be far harder to sort something like that out during one summer.

Turning this group of players into a team that has the mental strength and nous to grind out results where necessary is what will get us the 10 extra points to have us challenging for European football, and I do think that kind of development is realistic to expect this summer.