Unai Emery

[kippaxvilla2]

For as good as he is he has really weird blind spots.

1. Rogers starts no matter what.
2. No width
3. The occasional real thrashing at otherwise shit sides.
4. Oliver Glasner

Like I say weird.

[Proposition Joe]

I genuinely think it’s not about the players - or at least in terms of individual performance ability. There are far too many playing badly for it to be anything other than a wider issue. That might be a morale thing, a tactical thing, or a combination but players going away for international duty and showing what they can do shows Villa aren’t enabling them to do that at the moment.

My personal view is there’s a bit of feeling sorry for ourselves, which has fed into excessively negative and muddled thing in Unai and his coaching staff. They need to start being much more proactive and stop being so pathetic and meek - if we keep worrying about what might happen, it’s increasingly likely to happen.

Like our imposter syndrome has kicked in.

We're a top 4 team, competing in the Champions League, winning games with swagger, playing on the front foot and - hold on, we're Aston Villa, oh shit oh shit, what are we doing here, we don't belong here.

[Demitri_C]

This is like watching gerrard and lamberts last season.

ITS FUCKING AWFUL. Wouldn't mind so much if we were scoring goals and winning some games but we are doung neither.

We have played manure, Newcastle  brentford palace and Everton.  Score no goals in either  game. Thats simply not  good enough and embarrassing.  Unai has ti fix this asap as the fans wont take much more of this garbage

[brontebilly]

Tactically what can he do to change things? We are worryingly short of quality in the squad and some regulars do seem past their best anyway. The decision to extend Digne's contract already seems a poor one so he can give Maatsen a decent run on that side. Push that side a bit higher like we used to with Moreno. Mings is still athletic enough to cover behind.

The drop off from a fit Tielemans or Kamara to the other options is huge, McGinn is ok as a stop gap only there. Ahead of that 7, I really don't know in terms of shape. Going to have to try the likes of Elliot and Sancho narrow. More of a 4231. Cup game coming up to test it out.

---------Bizot
Cash, Lindelof, Mings, Maatsen
----Bogarde, McGinn,
----Elliot, Buendia, Sancho
---------Guessand

[PaulWinch again]

Tactical he can set up to win, rather than not to lose.

[Toronto Villa]

I think there’s lots he can do. It starts with the mental approach to the game. We have too many good players to be be setting up so passively. Give the talented players we have the belief they can score. Playing Bogarde in midfield today, a player who is primarily a CB doesn’t send that message. And as much as I like Buendia he’s a squad player. Emery had other options.

[Demitri_C]

I think there’s lots he can do. It starts with the mental approach to the game. We have too many good players to be be setting up so passively. Give the talented players we have the belief they can score. Playing Bogarde in midfield today, a player who is primarily a CB today doesn’t send that message. And as much as I like Buendia he’s a squad player. Emery had other options.

The worrying  thing for me was buendia  looked our best creative player today despite doing virtually  nothing

[PaulWinch again]

I think there’s lots he can do. It starts with the mental approach to the game. We have too many good players to be be setting up so passively. Give the talented players we have the belief they can score. Playing Bogarde in midfield today, a player who is primarily a CB today doesn’t send that message. And as much as I like Buendia he’s a squad player. Emery had other options.

It’s also stuff like playing McGinn on the right - it’s worked when we’ve been “in a good moment”, but it is fundamentally about stopping the opposition doing what they want to do rather than enabling what we can do.

So much of Unai screams a loss of confidence at the moment. But we won’t get out of this being meek, we have to be bold and start making teams fearful again. Yes PSR/SCR have taken their toll, but there is more than enough at the club now to be doing a hell of a lot better than we are right now.

[Rigadon]

We look devoid of confidence and toothless.  Unai will sort it out I’m sure. 

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

I think there’s lots he can do. It starts with the mental approach to the game. We have too many good players to be be setting up so passively. Give the talented players we have the belief they can score. Playing Bogarde in midfield today, a player who is primarily a CB doesn’t send that message. And as much as I like Buendia he’s a squad player. Emery had other options.

I thought Bogarde’s preferred position was defensive midfielder? I’m not convinced wherever he’s played, I suppose I shouldn’t expect much of a 4th/5th choice central midfielder.

[Grande Pablo]

Tactically what can he do to change things? We are worryingly short of quality in the squad and some regulars do seem past their best anyway. The decision to extend Digne's contract already seems a poor one so he can give Maatsen a decent run on that side. Push that side a bit higher like we used to with Moreno. Mings is still athletic enough to cover behind.

The drop off from a fit Tielemans or Kamara to the other options is huge, McGinn is ok as a stop gap only there. Ahead of that 7, I really don't know in terms of shape. Going to have to try the likes of Elliot and Sancho narrow. More of a 4231. Cup game coming up to test it out.

---------Bizot
Cash, Lindelof, Mings, Maatsen
----Bogarde, McGinn,
----Elliot, Buendia, Sancho
---------Guessand

Apologies but I'd be cancelling any trip to Brentford if I knew that was the starting XI.  It's just the game where Watkins & Rogers can regain some form of confidence, but do agree we should at least let Elliott of the leash.

[aj2k77]

What was worked on during the 2 weeks break?

[Richard]

What was worked on during the 2 weeks break?

As has been mentioned elsewhere most of the squad were away or injured.

[Walmley_Villa]

One Unai signing started the gam, we are stale. Standing still is going backwards in the Prem.

[aj2k77]

What was worked on during the 2 weeks break?

As has been mentioned elsewhere most of the squad were away or injured.

So he might as well have given everyone 2 weeks off. No new ideas, nothing. It's very hard to just play your way back in to form, there has to be a spark or a switch or something. We're currently banging our heads up against a brick wall. Again and again.