Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Post-Match

[Clampy]

On reflection, I think Moreno would have been the better choice than Digne last night.

[Martyn Smith]

When things don’t go well or to plan, it’s easy to put it down to missing players.
Lots of people are saying we missed Torres last night.
Personally, I don’t think we did.
Lenglet played very well and had little to do defensively.

I don’t think Messi would have improved our tempo or penetration last night, and Torres wouldn’t have any more impact than Lenglet.

I'd agree. I don't think the players themselves were too much of a problem last night, I think the tactics were the issue. We should have gone at them harder and faster, rather than slowly knocking the ball around in front of them looking for chinks in the armour. We needed to force errors out of them rather than wait for them to happen. The disallowed goal showed how error prone they could be under greater pressure

[ChicagoLion]

I think it was the execution, the final under hit, slightly mis directed pass or miscontroll at the crucial moment.

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

I was Very dissappointing to only get a point against these, we lack a prime couthinio number 10 to penetrate these triple lock defences. Someone like Maddison or Paqueta who can play a slide rule pass or a one two.
For Sheffield, Reggi Blinker had a good game he pretty much shut out both Bailey and Diarby,  I thought emery had got it wrong taking the two of them off, however  I was pleased Zaniolo popped up with a goal I didn't thnk it was going to happen for him here. I actually see him as big lump, good in the air centre forward rather than the wide and midfield positions he was playing.

This is how it's going to be from now on especially against lower teams, park the bus, we need to do better, play quicker or think differently. Cash saw loads of ball last night but just checked inside and played a square ball every single time.

[Villan82]

The early goal is vital to us. When we get it we usually win comfortably. We should have had a first half penalty. It's a different game if we get it and score.

[Paul.S]

I think it's fair to say VAR had a mare last night and not for the first time.

I think we should use the name of the official, rather than saying VAR, which makes it sound like a machine has made the decision.

John Brooks definitely had a mare.

If they send the ref to the screen for the pen he gives it.
It’s a kin lottery with these jokers, clueless or corrupt.

I don’t think there’s any evidence of corruption, just incompetence on a huge scale that’s affected every club at some point. Mistake after mistake and total confusion. You can tell when they stand in front of the screen they just don’t know what to give or what to do.
I couldn’t care about the stats, VAR needs to binning.

[Ian.]

On reflection, I think Moreno would have been the better choice than Digne last night.

I said this at half time. It wasn’t working for Cash so a threat on the left might have opened them up.

[PaulWinch again]

Nah

When things don’t go well or to plan, it’s easy to put it down to missing players.
Lots of people are saying we missed Torres last night.
Personally, I don’t think we did.
Lenglet played very well and had little to do defensively.

I don’t think Messi would have improved our tempo or penetration last night, and Torres wouldn’t have any more impact than Lenglet.

I'd agree. I don't think the players themselves were too much of a problem last night, I think the tactics were the issue. We should have gone at them harder and faster, rather than slowly knocking the ball around in front of them looking for chinks in the armour. We needed to force errors out of them rather than wait for them to happen. The disallowed goal showed how error prone they could be under greater pressure

Disagree if you add Torres and Tielemans to that game we win. It massively changes the quality and inventiveness of the passing.

[TonyD]

VAR have just ruled out Zani’s goal.
Because someone opened a packet of crisps at the Arsenal game. 

[Ian.]

The early goal is vital to us. When we get it we usually win comfortably. We should have had a first half penalty. It's a different game if we get it and score.

We might have had an early goal or two if VAR hadn’t ruled out a couple of penalties we should have had, especially when VAR ruled out the goal for the same sort of contact.

[manic-road]

Last nights performance was a bit like the so called digital light show, we sparkled and dazzled for a brief moment.

Exactly how most of us expected last night, United sat deep and made it difficult for us to play through.

Anyway have a Happy Chritmas all.

[Villa Lew]

End of a brilliant record, now, apart from of course challenging for the title, the challenge is to go to the rest of the season unbeaten at VP, improbable, but not impossible.

Re the match, Wilder has clearly got them very well organised, as Chelsea and Liverpool have already found out, we do struggle sometimes, when teams put 11 behind the ball and I was getting frustrated at times with our slow build up play, but we still got a point in the end, which many Villa teams pre Unai, wouldn't have done.

[nick harper]

Interesting that Mike Dean on Sky Sports has said he would have allowed the goal as it was clearly another phase and Sheff U had had a number of touches of the ball after the incident. It just shows that VAR makes no difference to the accuracy of decision making. Two professional referees looking at the same incident coming to completely different conclusions.

He also thought it was a penalty for the push (and shirt pull) on Watkins.

[Ads]

Mike Dead (gulp) is absolutely right.

[Monty]

VAR doesn't make no difference, but it's clearly being misused and disallowing that goal was such a classic example.