Unai Emery

[Monty]

I like Maatsen and I don't think Digne's in the greatest form, but I honestly don't think this is even in the top twenty problems we've got honestly.

You can't just keep reducing everything to the form problems of individual players (and presumably their moral failings) - 10 previously excellent players don't all suddenly suffer drops in personal performance at the same time. The issues are structural.

I think backbone, moral fibre, having a functioning brain and a distinct lack of cowardice are vitally important characteristics, which we seem to be lacking.

See every other word of the post!

[ROBBO]

Emery was screaming at the players towards the end of the game, obviously players not following instructions. Part of a managers job is to send out a united team we seem nothing like it.

[brontebilly]

I like Maatsen and I don't think Digne's in the greatest form, but I honestly don't think this is even in the top twenty problems we've got honestly.

You can't just keep reducing everything to the form problems of individual players (and presumably their moral failings) - 10 previously excellent players don't all suddenly suffer drops in personal performance at the same time. The issues are structural.

Both things can be true. Structural - yes. Even out of possession in the first half, why was McGinn told to drop onto KDH and leave Grealish with yards of space. It was addressed at half time but that tactical error should have finished us. With the ball, no clue what we are at. It's the same structure that has been so successful for us but Digne for one is a tactical problem as he can't or won't push on. So we have no width whatsoever.

All that aside, structure doesn't account for Rogers passing the ball to an Everton shirt all day. Or Konsa ball watching constantly. The fear is that the core of the team Emery inherited is on the slide, quicker than any of us expected.

[Ads]

A slide so quick its just this moment happened, having been the best side in the league over the last 3rd of the season? That explanation sounds as ill founded as it is speculative.

[Somniloquism]

I like Maatsen and I don't think Digne's in the greatest form, but I honestly don't think this is even in the top twenty problems we've got honestly.

You can't just keep reducing everything to the form problems of individual players (and presumably their moral failings) - 10 previously excellent players don't all suddenly suffer drops in personal performance at the same time. The issues are structural.

Both things can be true. Structural - yes. Even out of possession in the first half, why was McGinn told to drop onto KDH and leave Grealish with yards of space. It was addressed at half time but that tactical error should have finished us. With the ball, no clue what we are at. It's the same structure that has been so successful for us but Digne for one is a tactical problem as he can't or won't push on. So we have no width whatsoever.

All that aside, structure doesn't account for Rogers passing the ball to an Everton shirt all day. Or Konsa ball watching constantly. The fear is that the core of the team Emery inherited is on the slide, quicker than any of us expected.

Probably because in the last game when Everton scored, it was KDH running through unmarked to a Grealish pass that was a big feature of them scoring. He also had a reasonable hand in the two against Brighton, running forward and passing to Joe for the first and making an off the ball run which dragged defenders away for Garner.

[Beard82]

I think the fact were missing Barkley, Tilemans, Kamara and Onnana, and are chosing Mings for more of defensive over Torres means were not able to build anything. 

I think that means were asking our creative players to work mircales and they arent

[boozey182]

I think the entire club is experiencing the same thing. We've had three years of, pretty much, unparalleled progress over the last three years. So much has been going right or us, up until kick off at Wembley for the Semi-Final. Since then, we've really struggled to find any kind of spark. The way the league finished was gut-wrenching in every possible way. The way the summer has panned out was miserable (even if I think we partly rescued that on the final day). The Martinez fiasco certainly didn't help. And this season has started in the most insipid way possible.

I can't think of any better word than 'flat'. That's how everything feels. The players, coaching staff, fans - we've all lost that spark, that optimism, that passion. It seems to have evaporated.

And the way we play, you need that zip. You need to sprint into space, you need to fire the pass in as soon as the opportunity arises, you need to press with purpose. We're not good enough to beat teams without all of this, and it relies on a positive, robust mindset that isn't there. It all starts to fall apart.

As many others have said, these players haven't become useless overnight. Rogers' flick for England last week was better than anything he's done for Villa for months. He's a good player, playing poorly. Just like the rest of them.

I don't think it will take much to reignite whatever has been fuelling the players over the last few years. But I don't know how to manufacture it. It's Unai's job to do it. I reckon he will, and I reckon we'll be a decent team again soon. But the longer we go without scoring or winning, the harder it might be to jolt ourselves back again. The cup game this week could be a godsend. Or it could make everything look much worse.

Not sure there's much insight in this post - everything's a bit shit right now, but we'll probably get better soon. Unless we don't.

[ez]

On the bright side we are in the Europa League, Emery's speciality. And if spurs can win it we certainly can. Back in the champions league next season.

[brontebilly]

I like Maatsen and I don't think Digne's in the greatest form, but I honestly don't think this is even in the top twenty problems we've got honestly.

You can't just keep reducing everything to the form problems of individual players (and presumably their moral failings) - 10 previously excellent players don't all suddenly suffer drops in personal performance at the same time. The issues are structural.

Both things can be true. Structural - yes. Even out of possession in the first half, why was McGinn told to drop onto KDH and leave Grealish with yards of space. It was addressed at half time but that tactical error should have finished us. With the ball, no clue what we are at. It's the same structure that has been so successful for us but Digne for one is a tactical problem as he can't or won't push on. So we have no width whatsoever.

All that aside, structure doesn't account for Rogers passing the ball to an Everton shirt all day. Or Konsa ball watching constantly. The fear is that the core of the team Emery inherited is on the slide, quicker than any of us expected.

Probably because in the last game when Everton scored, it was KDH running through unmarked to a Grealish pass that was a big feature of them scoring. He also had a reasonable hand in the two against Brighton, running forward and passing to Joe for the first and making an off the ball run which dragged defenders away for Garner.

But that should have been Bogarde's role as the RCM in the first half to track KDH. McGinn was far too narrow and it sold Cash out. We had two weeks prep for the game and crazy really to see the space we gave to Grealish in that first half. McGinn stepped into RCM in the second and dealt with KDH comfortably while Guessand worked hard with Cash to shut down Grealish.

I didn't get our setup on the left either. Buendia worked hard to be fair but Digne was too worried about Ndiaye. That's not a winning combination, no pace at all. Buendia checks in with the ball and Digne is more than 10 yards behind him. How are we going to get up the pitch.

[pauliewalnuts]

I wonder if effectively, we are about to have the same sort of season Newcastle had after their CL fun, ie a disappointing one.

[cdbearsfan]

The season after they were in the Champions League they finished fifth to qualify for it again and won the League Cup. I could live with that level of disappointment.

[Dante Lavelli]

My theory on what Emery is facing:

Right or wrong, the headline from UEFA was that we must operate with a transfer profit for the next three years, meaning that growth will be severely restricted. If you’re a player with a 10-15 year career are you going to commit about a fifth of that career to a club that’s got its hands tied? 

I know this is an over simplification but probably true enough to worry a significant number of the squad and impact their commitment.

I also wonder whether this was why the club looked to solve the sanction in one season, so this perceived burden can be shifted asap.

[eamonn]

Who the fcuk is KDH, I keep reading it as De Bruyne. Everton aren't important enough to have us refer to one of their players by his initials, even ex-Villa alumni IGG - Idrissa Gana," I'm Not Gay, rainbow laces are for poofs" Gueye.

[London Villan]

Some of this is hindsight/perspective, but I said it earlier, teams started working us out early in 2024, then losing Diaby in the summer of 2024 and Bailey's form dropping off a cliff, led to the team's overall results being average in 2024.

The lack of pace/threat of pace, mean teams don't have to worry about longer passes and long balls. They just sit on us and let our defenders pass the ball to each other. Rashford and Asensio mitigated this when they joined in January, but without that pace and creativity, we are now easy to play against.

My hope is that Sancho and Elliot will provide some of what the loanees did and Guessand can get up to speed quickly.

[Somniloquism]

Who the fcuk is KDH, I keep reading it as De Bruyne. Everton aren't important enough to have us refer to one of their players by his initials, even ex-Villa alumni IGG - Idrissa Gana," I'm Not Gay, rainbow laces are for poofs" Gueye.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Easier to knock him down to KDH as DH isn't enough to distinguish. We used to do the same for KKH and for JPB when they both were here and were favouring their full joined surnames.