Unai Emery

[brontebilly]

Clery is pretty much spot on with that video. No easy solutions for Unai, but think it is time for Maatsen to have a run and Torres to see if he can play himself back into form. Not trying to re-start the boring Mings/Torres debate, but we have to move the ball out of defence and through the lines quicker. Seems like Guessand is going to be an important player and whether he likes it or not, we’re going to need Rogers to play out wide, with Malen as an another option, with Elliot the 10 behind Watkins.

Rogers on the left with Maatsen behind him is fine, with Digne we get a bit narrow.

Right now my team would be:

Emi

Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen
Kamara, Tielemans
Guessand, Elliott, Rogers
Watkins

With Sancho, McGinn and/or Malen on much earlier if the front 4 isn't working. Harsh on McGinn and Mings but, as good as they both are, they don't quite work in our team. I'd be tempted to try Mings at RCB at times though because he's easily the best aerial defender we have.

Did you miss the Brentford league game? I'd prefer Martinez at RCB than Mings.

[Brazilian Villain]

Mings comment of 'you don't know the half' has come home to roost...

TBH I thought that was extremely unprofessional of him.

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

Guessand on £90k a week is madness. How stupid can you get?

That’s the going rate for a player doing well playing for a PL club. And £90k isn’t even that much anymore when you have players on £250k plus.

I think you over estimate what teams are paying (outside of the "big 6" and Spurs only have a couple above), I don't think it is necessary the going rate at all for a PL club, particularly for a player just plucked from the French League. Brighton and Bournemouth for instance apparently don't have a single player on 90k. I get we're a bigger fish etc, but it does seem a big wage for him.

Apparently, Guessand is actually on 75k, which is still a decent wedge. I'm not sure how people are judging him this quickly, anyway.

[ROBBO]

Malen has never been given a fair go, he was looking good at the start then virtually ignored at team selection, even so the performances across whole team seem to be in decline and that is a worry, has Emery lost the players? are they unhappy with slow build ups? whatever, but as good as Emery has been for us in the end it's always a results game. Our back line even with Cash is decent, the midfield is lacking a little but injuries have been a problem lately, we are totally disjointed as an attacking force, Rogers and Watkins do not seem to be on the same planet, we have no width and the build up is at snails pace. It's a game of goals and we can't get them.

[SamTheMouse]

According to the empirical evidence before us, we urgently need to fuck Monchi off and bring Lange back.

[aj2k77]

Where has the lack of confidence come from?

[ChicagoLion]

Where has the lack of confidence come from?

I think it’s called the feedback loop, actions =outcomes= emotion (confidence or lack of)= actions repeat ad infinitum.
You somehow have to break the pattern,I did not see much evidence of that tonight.
I think we are in trouble.

[PaulWinch again]

We really need to shake ourselves out of this malaise. It’s been a shockingly poor start to the season.

[ROBBO]

The evidence is in, Rashford clearly showed us the way. Fast pacey wingers who can get past a full back and deliver crosses into the box. Agree with most that Monchi has failed us badly, that's what comes through hiring mates.

[Proposition Joe]

The most Villa thing ever is to go to shit after looking good for 2 or 3 years. "Gone to shit again" should be the club motto.

It's called The Villa Cycle and it's part of the fabric of the club. This season has Sir Brian 97-98 and Big Ron 94-95 vibes.

[algy]

Stick by my thoughts earlier. We need to start winning, and we need to start winning soon. There’s a tricky run of fixtures starting in October (Spurs A, Go Ahead A, Man City H, Liverpool A, Macabbi Tel Aviv H) and if we go in to that in similar form to what we are now, we’ll be bottom of the league in mid November and pretty much out of 2 cup competitions. I don’t see how any manager would survive that.

Feels to me like the season Deano left. Loads of disruption in the summer, and clearly something being wrong behind the scenes.

[PaulWinch again]

It feels very disjointed and flat in and around the club. That’s being reflected on the pitch. The whole management team needs to do something to reinvigorate things.

[aj2k77]

And it's all secretive so no one knows why a club that finished the season winning 14 of their last 19 can't even muster a threatening attack any more and have multiple players trotting round going through the motions.

Whoever has done what has totally disrupted 3 years of work. I would like answers and I'd like someone to pay the price and be accountable.

[Villan82]

Monchi does need to go. Not necessarily because anything is his fault - I think Emery runs the recruitment - but precisely because there needs to be more separation of power as there was previously under Smith and Gerrard.

Lange, and even Pitarch, bought players that served us very well to be fair. The proof is how integral they remain to us years after both have left.

Emery needs to be told that the recruitment is going to be overseen by a DOF/Sporting Director so he can focus on coaching the players and running the team

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

Monchi does need to go. Not necessarily because anything is his fault - I think Emery runs the recruitment - but precisely because there needs to be more separation of power as there was previously under Smith and Gerrard.

Lange, and even Pitarch, bought players that served us very well to be fair. The proof is how integral they remain to us years after both have left.

Emery needs to be told that the recruitment is going to be overseen by a DOF/Sporting Director so he can focus on coaching the players and running the team

Therein lies the problem. It’s Emery’ club from top to bottom, everything has been geared to make him happy. You’d think there’d be a lot to put in place when he does leave.