Unai Emery

[ldavfc4eva]

Unai couldn’t win with the team selection last night.

If he had started Iroebugnam, Zaniolo etc and we lost by the same score then some on here would say “why didn’t he pick the strongest team”.

He played the strongest team and lost.

The players seem too pedestrian just lately, too slow in the build up and the last 2 home games the opposition have taken note of this and just press us as far into our half as possible.

We need to change something as it’s not working at all at the moment.

[AV82EC]

We cannot play the slow build up style with a CB pairing of Carlos and Lenglet, they just don’t have the speed or weight of pass, so we need an alternative. It surely can’t be as easy for opposition Managers of just sitting on Luiz and Kamara and not letting us out. That seems to be the conundrum that Unai needs to solve.

[Ian.]

I thought our main issue wasn’t the pace, too many players, Kamara and McGinn especially were way off their game and were loose with the passing. We had momentum but kept giving the ball away and seem to lose confidence very quickly. Tilemans is great when we’re on the front foot but when we need to dig in he’s not much help. I really like him but he’s a bit of a luxury player.

t’s alarming how quickly we fold though. Is it because our defence is not great under pressure from both flanks, but then three of those players probably would not be starting if we had a fully fit side.

[Somniloquism]

We cannot play the slow build up style with a CB pairing of Carlos and Lenglet, they just don’t have the speed or weight of pass, so we need an alternative. It surely can’t be as easy for opposition Managers of just sitting on Luiz and Kamara and not letting us out. That seems to be the conundrum that Unai needs to solve.

We didn't have Torres playing last season although Mings and Konsa do have pace. We played differently depending on the opposition. Sometimes we played counter attack, sometimes with three up front, sometimes with a diamond, sometimes with possession. McGinn would be up front one week and sitting in front of the defence the next. The play was altered depending upon the opposition and the players were shown how to beat them. Now it seems like we only have one style and if that doesn't work, we have nothing.

[ozzjim]

Emery seems very focused on getting one way of playing working well, but his strength last season was very much the ability to set us up in different ways. I think he needs to go back to a low block in some games to get us more on the counter. We've been rattled behind the full backs and teams going man to man across the pitch at home, and we have to do something different to break it, if we don't Garnacho is having another field day on Sunday.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

Very annoying performance tonight. With what was our strongest available 11. 
I hoped we’d come out better second half after a “ bollocking. Didn’t understand why no subs at half time.
Really didn’t understand why no subs after they were warming up for an eternity.
He needs to get into them tomorrow and get them firing for Sunday.

I’m sure he will.

Same as against Newcastle, no subs at half time hoping that the players who were shocking in the first half will up their game, they don’t, then shortly after the restart we’re three down and the game has definitely gone.

I can sort of see why you wouldn’t throw Tim on as they could have scored a few more and his confidence could go but he’s on the bench through merit and there’s no way he would have been worse than either central midfielder, particularly Kamara. I don’t really understand why Tim wasn’t given 45 against Sheff U when we’re four up either.

[Risso]

Emery seems very focused on getting one way of playing working well, but his strength last season was very much the ability to set us up in different ways. I think he needs to go back to a low block in some games to get us more on the counter. We've been rattled behind the full backs and teams going man to man across the pitch at home, and we have to do something different to break it, if we don't Garnacho is having another field day on Sunday.

Yep, in some games last season eg Spurs away, we effectively had a back 6 out of possession. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. To be honest, this football isn't pretty either and it's completely ineffective.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

Emery seems very focused on getting one way of playing working well, but his strength last season was very much the ability to set us up in different ways. I think he needs to go back to a low block in some games to get us more on the counter. We've been rattled behind the full backs and teams going man to man across the pitch at home, and we have to do something different to break it, if we don't Garnacho is having another field day on Sunday.

Yep, in some games last season eg Spurs away, we effectively had a back 6 out of possession. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. To be honest, this football isn't pretty either and it's completely ineffective.

Said the same last night, what’s happened to us closing games out or phases of games by going ultra defensive? Might be seen as negative at home but we’ve not seen it this season away either.

[PaulWinch again]

My biggest concern is that is two home games in a row where we have gone in at half-time two goals down and very obviously second best. But we’ve come out in the second half and done exactly the same as we did in the first, which can only leave me to conclude that Unai is looking at the first half and is thinking everything is ok. Regardless of the the score line, the performances have been miles off it in both instances, and it should have been clear change was needed.

He’s done a brilliant job, and we all have bad days at the office, but I really hope he’s reflecting on the underlying issues and also thinking about being more proactive when it isn’t working.

[Risso]

He's starting to sound a bit like all our other managers when things turn to shit. "We're to going to analyse the match" after a shit show, then does exactly the same thing next match, with the same results. Frustrating.

[Ads]

Nah that's a step too far. I think he's quite clever in that he gets away with saying the same thing and being quite genial about it week after week, largely because he has learnt a lesson that being open leads to ridicule, amongst other things. None of the managers want to do these interviews, he can't pull the Bielsa trick, so he just does the next best thing. Doesn't saying anything controversial, doesn't chastise harshly publicly, sticks to the same 5 or 6 stock phrases, regardless of what happened. He's a smart bloke.

[VillaTim]

We are becoming incredibly dull to watch, the slow build up play is monotonous and tedious if it is not interspersed with rapid periods of transitional attacking play which we were seeing in the 1st half of the season and now is nowhere to be seen.

[Clampy]

I don't really care what he says after a match as long as we bounce back from a defeat which we usually tend to do.

[Richard]

We are becoming incredibly dull to watch, the slow build up play is monotonous and tedious if it is not interspersed with rapid periods of transitional attacking play which we were seeing in the 1st half of the season and now is nowhere to be seen.

Yeah last Saturday was a bore fest, never have I seen such a dull Villa team. Bring back Stevie G, all is forgiven.

[Clampy]

I knew there was a reason why I muted him. What troll like nonsense.