Aston Villa v Southampton Pre Match

[achilles]

Think SG will stick with the same side and I think it will be the same result, so SG stays for a bit longer!

[Villa in Denmark]

Why the conviction from so many that we'll keep a clean sheet?  We couldn't even manage it against the cockney twatty kit stealing thunderchunts.

If we win it'll be  a scrappy 2-1 with clenched ringpieces for the final 10 minutes.

We played really well against Man City and were unlucky not to have taken all three points. We'll be more defensively solid with Young at right back, and hopefully Kamara and Luiz will play to the same standard they did last time out. Hopefully having Chambers on Bednarek on the bench will show Mings and Konsa that they can't afford any fuck ups at all.

I'm worried that

1. Some players raised their games against City such as Konsa and Watkins and won't repeat it against a team as "lowly" as Southampton
2. Gerrard picked a team out of necessity against City and will revert to type against lower opposition

[Dave P]

Strange game in what will be a strange atmosphere in a strange week. There's less pressure on the Manager given the postponement of the Leicester match but he can I'll afford to lose. A win might be a stretch. A stalemate keeping the jury well and truly out.

0-0

Why would the atmosphere be strange? Friday night game at home on a Bank Holiday weekend, I'm expecting it to be absolutely belting.

I hope the atmosphere is good but a game taking place when the Monarch is lying in State, preceeded by a minutes silence and rendering of the National Anthem will make it somewhat unusual IMO.

Plus we are, shall we say, out of form.  It'll be a strange nervy atmosphere and the mood will change either way dependant on who gets the first goal.

[eamonn]

Saints have had some decent results. We're still a bit shit. Stalemate it is.

[coreyfeldman]

Why the conviction from so many that we'll keep a clean sheet?  We couldn't even manage it against the cockney twatty kit stealing thunderchunts.

If we win it'll be  a scrappy 2-1 with clenched ringpieces for the final 10 minutes.

We played really well against Man City and were unlucky not to have taken all three points. We'll be more defensively solid with Young at right back, and hopefully Kamara and Luiz will play to the same standard they did last time out. Hopefully having Chambers on Bednarek on the bench will show Mings and Konsa that they can't afford any fuck ups at all.

I'm worried that

1. Some players raised their games against City such as Konsa and Watkins and won't repeat it against a team as "lowly" as Southampton
2. Gerrard picked a team out of necessity against City and will revert to type against lower opposition

Probably because I'm short minded but I'm actually feeling pretty positive about this one. SG actually made good decisions against citeh and I'm backing him to do the same on Friday.

Genuinely think the players that have come in are proper competition for places and that will raise the standards. I'm also really really really hoping that Archer gets a decent run out but that might be a bit too optimistic

[Skerra]

Don’t think Bednerak can be in the squad due to him coming to us from Soton

[Toronto Villa]

Lose and we are in the relegation zone. Lose and Gerrard is out of a job. We play like we did against Man City and we can and should win this game.

[ChicagoLion]

If the team sheet has Ings and Watkins starting, he should be sacked on the spot.

[Villa Lew]

Going Villa to win by the odd goal, but with not a lot of confidence.

[pauliewalnuts]

Why the conviction from so many that we'll keep a clean sheet?  We couldn't even manage it against the cockney twatty kit stealing thunderchunts.

If we win it'll be  a scrappy 2-1 with clenched ringpieces for the final 10 minutes.

We played really well against Man City and were unlucky not to have taken all three points. We'll be more defensively solid with Young at right back, and hopefully Kamara and Luiz will play to the same standard they did last time out. Hopefully having Chambers on Bednarek on the bench will show Mings and Konsa that they can't afford any fuck ups at all.

I'm worried that

1. Some players raised their games against City such as Konsa and Watkins and won't repeat it against a team as "lowly" as Southampton
2. Gerrard picked a team out of necessity against City and will revert to type against lower opposition

If Gerrard reverts to type then he thoroughly deserves the inevitable P45 when we lose.

I can’t believe he’d be that stupid. Or stubborn. Or both.

[Sexual Ealing]

I can.

[pauliewalnuts]

So can I, really.

[Drummond]

Me three. Though I'd like to think he isn't.

[chrisw1]

If Gerrard reverts to type then he thoroughly deserves the inevitable P45 when we lose.

I can’t believe he’d be that stupid. Or stubborn. Or both.

But what does that mean?  We set up to be solid against City for a defensive performance and it worked well.  But a tub thumping backs to the wall performamce isn't a model that can be rolled out against teams like Southampton who aren't going to come at us in the same way.  So we need to find ways to break them down other than than counter attack and for that I would think we really need the more creative players like Buendia or Coutinho.

So I don't really see how we can base our performance on the City game (which was a 4-3-3 set up anyway) and so to some extent, assuming we go 4-3-3 again it's almost certainly going to go to be 'back to type' to some extent.  Obviously he can keep the fullbacks deeper and ask the front 3 and 8's to do the heavy lifting up front, but if he's not carful he'll be accused of being far too negative against a very average team.

Luiz should 100% start, but he'll want to include Ramsey and I can't see him leaving McGinn out, so I'd expect a similar line up to the pre City games. 

[Toronto Villa]

I can.

That's why I think things will look after themselves. He's not suddenly found enlightenment. He will go back to who he is and he will be fired.