Unai Emery

[pauliewalnuts]

That might be true but we are better than Leeds all over the park by many levels of magnitude. Our better players, Sancho, Barkely, Torres, were on the bench. If you want to say that we have 3 players out and a hand behind our back, ok, it absolutely is a factor, but.kets not double that problem.

Spot on.

Clearly, those three players being out is a massive challenge.

I just don't think it is enough to fully explain the poor performances of late. Like you said, we are better everywhere than Leeds, even without those three.

[Ian.]

Confidence, mentality and then a drop off in overall form. Losing momentum is another which also works both ways. When you gain momentum you become unstoppable and belief thrives through the camp.

Having those three players suddenly impacts everything, resulting in that above. I think it’s hit us both mentally and obviously a lack of quality and energy they bring together.

[ChicagoLion]

There is no value in keep going about the injuries.
We have enough resources to do better than we are right now.
We have 11 PL games with a massive opportunity to secure CL status.

[AV82EC]

Onana and Luiz against a narrow 3 man midfield like yesterday was folly and despite starting the second half with Luiz dropping between Konsa and Mings we just couldn’t get going. The impetus changed when Buendia and Bailey were hooked and Rogers went left and Sancho was right and we were just playing the ball to Maatsen and Cash and spreading their back line. The fact we didnt create more from getting behind them on numerous occasions in the last 15 minutes was disappointing but we did at least start to create and got a deserved equaliser for our efforts.

I'm not picking on you here but posts like this really frustrate me.

It's like we forgot to inform you that three of our best central midfielders are out long-term injured.

This is probably his worst luck with injuries in three years and he hasn't really got options.

As Ads says I absolutely get the 3 people out but with the resources at his disposal and against a mid press team like Leeds, I think Unai got his team selection wrong. In view of the changes he made late on to really turn the screw there was a selection in there that could have won us the game. However it’s just my opinion, I’m sure Unai isn’t in the slightest bit concerned  that some non entity like myself on the internet has a different view. And who’s to say my team selection wouldn’t have ended up with us getting gubbed 3-0. It’s all ifs buts and maybes anyway.

[Ian.]

There is no value in keep going about the injuries.
We have enough resources to do better than we are right now.
We have 11 PL games with a massive opportunity to secure CL status.

Of course there is. It’s impacted us massively, as I said it’s obviously hit us mentally as well as a lack of quality.

[ChicagoLion]

There is no value in keep going about the injuries.
We have enough resources to do better than we are right now.
We have 11 PL games with a massive opportunity to secure CL status.

Of course there is. It’s impacted us massively, as I said it’s obviously hit us mentally as well as a lack of quality.

And the value is what?

[Ian.]

Because a question was asked and has been asked many times why we are playing so shit.

[RamboandBruno]

There is no value in keep going about the injuries.
We have enough resources to do better than we are right now.
We have 11 PL games with a massive opportunity to secure CL status.

Im
Not sure thats true. I think we’ve been over performing before losing our main midfielders, we’re now relying on a player, in Dougie whose hardly played in two years, Onana who is good in my opinion, but not as good currently as Kamara, McGinn, or Youri (different players I know), Bogarde, young and learning and Barkley, older, talented, but hasnt got the legs for a full game.

[brontebilly]

That might be true but we are better than Leeds all over the park by many levels of magnitude. Our better players, Sancho, Barkely, Torres, were on the bench. If you want to say that we have 3 players out and a hand behind our back, ok, it absolutely is a factor, but.kets not double that problem.

Better players?? Sancho and Barkley did ok yesterday when they came on but are on the bench for obvious reasons. Torres the same, poor v Newcastle twice recently. I'm not a fan of playing Mings in home games like yesterday but it's Lindelof that should be in the team for me over both of them.

[olaftab]

There is no value in keep going about the injuries.
We have enough resources to do better than we are right now.
We have 11 PL games with a massive opportunity to secure CL status.

Except we don't have enough resources to do better than we are doing right now.

[ChicagoLion]

Because a question was asked and has been asked many times why we are playing so shit.

It would be the equivalent of a Hiroo Onoda scenario to be a Villa fan and not believe that we have 3 midfielders injured.

[Sexual Ealing]

I don't agree with CL ever, so I wouldn't claim to speak for him, but isn't the point that by going on about the injuries we (if the players do it too) bake in excuses for poor performances before we've even kicked a ball.

[ChicagoLion]

There is no value in keep going about the injuries.
We have enough resources to do better than we are right now.
We have 11 PL games with a massive opportunity to secure CL status.

Except we don't have enough resources to do better than we are doing right now.

We should be getting more than 1 point in home games against Everton Leeds and Brentford if you look at the players available to those teams  compared to ours.

[olaftab]

We have 4 points from last two games. We can all be selective when looking at performance in a small window but it's a 9 month season.

[AV82EC]

Villa have 3 very good midfielders injured which has had an impact on performances.

Maybe Unai got his team selection wrong against Leeds.

Both statements can be true, it’s not either/or. And it’s probably much more nuanced than that as well.