Aston Villa v HŠK Zrinjski Mostar Post-Match Thread

[PeterWithe]

Don't know how it looked on TV but they looked offside on numerous occasions in the first half without the lino flagging, and on when he did.

Not keen on Cash flinging himself to the ground holding his face, more than a bit fannyish.

[lovejoy]

i know we won so it doesn't matter but had we not....Zaniolo was clearly having his shirt pulled late on, and not for an instant but a prolonged period. They have VAR. Why was this not given as a penalty?

[PaulTheVillan]

i know we won so it doesn't matter but had we not....Zaniolo was clearly having his shirt pulled late on, and not for an instant but a prolonged period. They have VAR. Why was this not given as a penalty?

It should have been looked at. It started outside the box IIRC, so I bet we'd have got a free kick

[paul_e]

i know we won so it doesn't matter but had we not....Zaniolo was clearly having his shirt pulled late on, and not for an instant but a prolonged period. They have VAR. Why was this not given as a penalty?

Yep, as I said in the match thread, refs not giving penalties like that is exactly why diving is so common, to effectively punish players for trying to stay on their feet is fucking weird.

[cdward]

I thought Zaniolo looked a better player than he has in previous games. I'm putting that down to Emery (and his staff) coaching and improving him.
I wonder what advice would Emery give regarding the shirt pull, do managers tell their players to go down or just let the player decide.
If he goes down it's a definite foul.

[Risso]

I thought Zaniolo looked a better player than he has in previous games. I'm putting that down to Emery (and his staff) coaching and improving him.
I wonder what advice would Emery give regarding the shirt pull, do managers tell their players to go down or just let the player decide.
If he goes down it's a definite foul.

Some of it has to come down to the standard of opposition as well. They're miles below even the worst Premier League team.

[martyn ellis]

I refused to allow the fact that my 11.15 train back to Euston was cancelled. Fair play to the station staff who organised (free) taxis for us in quick time all the way back to London - I shared one with a couple of really friendly Bosnian fans and a couple of Villa fans, one of whom I knew from meeting several times on the train up, and who kindly drove us all home from Euston on his way to Bromley. Ian, if you're reading this please PM me so I can say thank you. I wonder how I'd have felt if we'd only drawn.
Did anyone else on here suffer the same fate with the late train?

[Ads]

We've been given a couple of European footballing lessons by "inferior" teams. We need to be a bit smarter, not be suckered into stupid fouls and move the ball more quickly. They deserve a lot of credit for a team that were 12/1 to draw and 30/1 to win last night.

Is SJM now at legend status at Aston Villa??

We were given a lesson in what? Parallel parking a bus? Palace did the same. Teams will be coming to Villa Park to not shit the bed and stick 11 behind the ball a lot more regularly, as when they don't, we hammer them.

Not to underestimate the opposition (both players and fans) and realise we are up against teams with more European experience than us as a team. We were a header away from only having 1 point in the group. They also had the best chance in the first half too, which required a brilliant save by Emi. Not great for the favourites for the competition.

Fans booking hotels in Athens, the "only the conference" quotes and picking under strength team have shown a touch of over-confidence/arrogance towards European football so far.

I fail to see what lesson we've learnt other than teams will come to Villa Park and sit deeper and deeper and we have to be patient to hammer down the door. Same as Palace. Be the same when West Ham come. Same when Luton come.

They've learnt a football lesson that class tells in the end.

[Ads]

Don't know how it looked on TV but they looked offside on numerous occasions in the first half without the lino flagging, and on when he did.

Not keen on Cash flinging himself to the ground holding his face, more than a bit fannyish.

Yeah the 1 chance they had, he looked miles off.

[AV82EC]

We've been given a couple of European footballing lessons by "inferior" teams. We need to be a bit smarter, not be suckered into stupid fouls and move the ball more quickly. They deserve a lot of credit for a team that were 12/1 to draw and 30/1 to win last night.

Is SJM now at legend status at Aston Villa??

We were given a lesson in what? Parallel parking a bus? Palace did the same. Teams will be coming to Villa Park to not shit the bed and stick 11 behind the ball a lot more regularly, as when they don't, we hammer them.

Not to underestimate the opposition (both players and fans) and realise we are up against teams with more European experience than us as a team. We were a header away from only having 1 point in the group. They also had the best chance in the first half too, which required a brilliant save by Emi. Not great for the favourites for the competition.

Fans booking hotels in Athens, the "only the conference" quotes and picking under strength team have shown a touch of over-confidence/arrogance towards European football so far.

I fail to see what lesson we've learnt other than teams will come to Villa Park and sit deeper and deeper and we have to be patient to hammer down the door. Same as Palace. Be the same when West Ham come. Same when Luton come.

They've learnt a football lesson that class tells in the end.

Quite right Ads, if teams come and park the bus we’ll find a way through, it’s what big clubs do.

[Brend'Watkins]

Anyway, I really enjoy a win like that. Banging on the door at the Holte End and a late winner. 6-1s are great but I really enjoyed my drive home last night after that celebration. Great endorphins

Agreed, really enjoyed it and was buzzing on the way home.

Yep buzzing endorphins got me to Stafford on the M6 before I calmed down. Love a last minute winner and the “limbs” in all parts of the ground.

I was saying much the same comparing the two results.  6-1 tonking of Brighton greeted with mild happiness. 1-0 last minute winner against a never heard of team until a few months ago and it was total euphoria. The small caring part of me felt a little bit sad for the Mostar players as they put in some great effort and gave it their all.

Funniest moment of the night...the long assertive half time announcement about the punishments for using pyrotechnics, firstly with us in mind and then in the Bosnian/Serbian language for the benefit of Mostar's fans. No direct translation in that language for pyrotechnics.  It must have reminded one of their's that they'd brought one along as it was sparked up early 2nd half to quite good effect I'll add.

[tomd2103]

We've been given a couple of European footballing lessons by "inferior" teams. We need to be a bit smarter, not be suckered into stupid fouls and move the ball more quickly. They deserve a lot of credit for a team that were 12/1 to draw and 30/1 to win last night.

Is SJM now at legend status at Aston Villa??

We were given a lesson in what? Parallel parking a bus? Palace did the same. Teams will be coming to Villa Park to not shit the bed and stick 11 behind the ball a lot more regularly, as when they don't, we hammer them.

Not to underestimate the opposition (both players and fans) and realise we are up against teams with more European experience than us as a team. We were a header away from only having 1 point in the group. They also had the best chance in the first half too, which required a brilliant save by Emi. Not great for the favourites for the competition.

Fans booking hotels in Athens, the "only the conference" quotes and picking under strength team have shown a touch of over-confidence/arrogance towards European football so far.

I fail to see what lesson we've learnt other than teams will come to Villa Park and sit deeper and deeper and we have to be patient to hammer down the door. Same as Palace. Be the same when West Ham come. Same when Luton come.

They've learnt a football lesson that class tells in the end.

Quite right Ads, if teams come and park the bus we’ll find a way through, it’s what big clubs do.

I think the change of formation helped with that.  In games like that, we are used to seeing us going side to side to isolated full backs who inevitably turn and play backwards.  In the second half, the formation meant that we had a few players in wide areas when the ball went out there and it helped to create a bit more.

The crossing was pretty poor on the whole last night, but we got it right when it mattered. 

[Small Rodent]

I'm glad our players showed decorum at the final whistle after scoring a late winner. So many teams in similar circumstances lately are behaving as though they've won a final with subs running on the pitch etc.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I couldn't watch it live, so watched it already knowing the result and that doubtless made it a more calm and pleasant experience.

I don't think it was a bad performance, and on another day a few of the earlier chances would have gone in and led to a more comfortable victory.

Tielemans had a couple of decent efforts on goal and created a few good opportunities. Zaniolo looks like a good player to me, if the overhead kick had gone in we'd be raving about it, and sooner or later he will start scoring. It is good to have a player on the pitch with the chutzpah to try for a goal like that.

In defence Lenglet looked much better and will have benefited from getting game time. We can put out a makeshift defence so long as we don't play Olsen. Olsen can really only be used behind a full strength defence as cover if Emi is injured or suspended. He is not good enough to play in a rotated team.

Not convinced Dendonker can play a role in an Emery team.

I the past we have been unable to win against teams that park the bus, this team is able to find a way to win more often than not even if it comes late.

[simon ward 50]

Where are the McGinn doubters today?