Big six Villa 2 Forest 0 Post Match Thread

[ChicagoLion]

3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.

I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.

It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.

You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.

If we give the ball away as often as we did yesterday then it’s hard to see how we would beat a team that is far superior to Forest.

[LeonW]

3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.

I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.

It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.

You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.

I’m sorry; if you think Emery went away from that game happy, then I think we’ve plateaued already. There is no way he was happy with that performance. The elite do not settle. It was a poor performance from us.

[London Villan]

Mcginn having to play deeper affects the dynamic of the team. If kamara isnt fit for saturday i can see dendonkar coming in as the second holding player and mcginn further forward.

[Villafirst]

Yes, we need Bouba back asap. It could be Brentford when he returns though after UE said he's at least 10 days away from being involved. Coutinho could yet play an important role in the run-in  especially after his goal and display against Arsenal. He will be back soon as well.

[Mister E]

He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.

Cost us what?

[astonvilla82]

Had enough of signing any old shit just to make up the numbers,am willing to let the Boss Man do the talking and what he says goes

[N'ZMAV]

He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.

Cost us what?

it'll cost us finishing 14th

[Nunkin1965]

I'd say that the targets he wanted were not available or we weren't a good enough catch, so he decided to work with what he has and not compromise his choices and just buy stopgap players.
Emery is doing a superb job with the current squad.

[Hookeysmith]

I thought Mings was magnificent and must of embarrassed the watching idiot that is Southgate.

Dominated the game and took our chances when they came.

No one would fancy playing us at the moment.

My only concern is the size of the squad and possible burn out but I'm sure UA backroom team is as professional in thier prep as he is with his tactics

[brontebilly]

3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.

I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.

It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.

Exactly, part of it was that they man marked Luiz and SJM and we struggled to play through our midfield, a lot of players were very poor with the ball and we  couldn't put 2 passes together except when going sideways and backwards. I enjoyed the result but not the performance.
A fit Kamara will help and we need him back asap.

We had the same challenge against the likes of Wolves and Leeds early in Emery's reign when Kamara was playing. The lack of a ball playing centre back comfortable of stepping into midfield is a real challenge in breaking that press.

In saying that I don't think Luiz in particular did enough to try and shake MGW yesterday to get on the ball, McGinn was off the pace throughout, Buendia had a shocker while Ramsey was predictably useless on the right, thankfully that was switched after half time and he improved. Watkins wasn't great either so the long ball didn't stick all that much.

We will be in for a hammering against Newcastle if we play like we did yesterday.

[darren woolley]

Another win and another clean sheet I will take that.

[Richard E]

Even when it was 0-0 at half time I was supremely confident that if we bided our time the win would come, it didn’t feel like one where they were going to nick it 1-0. Routine comfortable win against very poor and probably doomed opposition. Makes a nice change, long may it continue.

[Drummond]

3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.

I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.

It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.

You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.

We're still on track. 😉

Anyway, it was a tough game, they tried to stifle us, and it worked, because we only scored two.

[PeterWithesShin]

We've gone from a side that earlier in the season everyone wanted to see as their next fixture to a side no one in the division wants to see. And that's because even when we're stifled by the opposition and/or not playing near our best we score and more often than not win. I'll take that every day of the week.

[Ads]

Happy with the win and it does feel very much like that run in the promotion season.

Felt Forest showed us an immense amount of respect by the way they set up. Sacrificing any attacking intent, to flood 5 at the back and swamp the midfield. They weren't interested in pressing and that made it hard for our usual tempo increase in transition from defence to midfield/attack (see 1st goal at Leicester). Only a couple of ocassions did Moreno and Bailey get beyond. If you can cast your mind back 13 years, it was that persistent failure to beat sides sitting in, that cost us a top 4 finish under O'Neill.

A game we were never going to lose, but we needed more from Ramsey and Buendia. 3 games in a week probably has an effect, but they were wasteful in possession and lacked drive on the ball.

Forest changing their shape slightly by bringing on a proper forward allowed a little more space and Konsa's distribution into midfield was again, a prime example of Emery's system in action. Our patience in possession will exceed your discipline in the press. It did yesterday almost to effect and it absolutely did on Tuesday with the first goal, with another low block defence.

Forced it a little too much with Mings and Konsa in the first half looking long. No issue with the switch, but the records of good sides are littered with "1-0 job done", as much as you remember the flashy results/performances. Grind them down, wear them out, death by pass and strangulation of the game. Another centre half in the summer is highly likely. Brighton's centre half's seem to find that killer pass into midfield consistently, that's what we're aiming at.

Delighted for Bertie to get on the board again, still rusty, but he's another body at least. Superb for the Ollie goal too with the runs. Yes they had 10 men, but it was well exploited.

Slower than we'd like, a game where Kamara's passing alongside Dougie was needed, with McGinn and his bustle probably offering more than Ramsey. It would be nice to have a few more options for next Saturday and its brilliant to be in April and in a genuine top 6 class again!

Routine. We came, we passed, we won. And it was never really in doubt.