Aston Villa v Bournemouth Post Match Thread

[ChicagoLion]

We are so close to being a title race team, in fact it’s only a couple of results.
We do have some frailties when decent teams Mount attacks but we are able to scramble defence and then we have The Goalkeeper.
And when we go forward with the skill and running we showed yesterday we look fantastic.
Brilliant players, team , manager and club.
UTV.

[Risso]

I thought we were pretty comfortable all through that, their goal was completely out of the blue and I never felt we wouldn't come back.

Agreed, and yet MOTD's coverage suggested that B'mouth were well on top and that Rogers' goal came out of the blue. Tsk.

They had some decent chances first half, when we definitely weren't at our best. We were quite sloppy and kept giving the ball away. Miles better after the break, that Rogers goal came at a brilliant time.

[Mister E]

I thought we were pretty comfortable all through that, their goal was completely out of the blue and I never felt we wouldn't come back.

Agreed, and yet MOTD's coverage suggested that B'mouth were well on top and that Rogers' goal came out of the blue. Tsk.

They had some decent chances first half, when we definitely weren't at our best. We were quite sloppy and kept giving the ball away. Miles better after the break, that Rogers goal came at a brilliant time.

You're right that they had a couple of very good chances - as did we, in the first half, when both Pau and Diaby could have converted incisive crosses.

[nick harper]

Good article that, in the Athletic. Compare that to The Times where the report is relegated to a small corner of the football section and then concentrates on whether Emery will be tempted to Bayern.

They just don’t get what’s happening at Villa Park, do they?

[VillaTim]

I thought we were pretty comfortable all through that, their goal was completely out of the blue and I never felt we wouldn't come back.

Agreed, and yet MOTD's coverage suggested that B'mouth were well on top and that Rogers' goal came out of the blue. Tsk.

They had some decent chances first half, when we definitely weren't at our best. We were quite sloppy and kept giving the ball away. Miles better after the break, that Rogers goal came at a brilliant time.

We did create a couple of decent chances first half, Diaby probably should have scored that one . We just looked a bit sluggish first half, understandably .

[Brend'Watkins]

Andoni Iraola did his homework very well judging by Bournmouth’s closing down first half. They just about shaded the first half. The 2nd we were dominant in large part due to Watkins. He had the better of his marker throughout. I’ve never seen him so dominant against a CH before, he won everything. A quite outstanding performance. Rogers, SJM, Teilemans and Konsa were all very good too. In fact, everyone was on their game.

What was pleasing to me too was that we weren’t giving away stupid fouls in dangerous areas.

[Bad English]

What was pleasing to me too was that we Douglas Luiz weren’t wasn't giving away stupid fouls in dangerous areas.

I've scapegoated that for you.

[The Edge]

From The Athletic - Jacob Tanswell  makes some really good points.

RELENTLESS ASTON VILLA ARE BEING ROARED TO THE FINISH LINE BY A WONDERFUL CROWD

“We shall not be moved!” echoed around Villa Park.

After 132 nights in the Premier League’s top four for Aston Villa, the finish line is in view.

Those Villa supporters have hard evidence that, after a potentially definitive eight days resulting in two league wins and progress into a European semi-final, their team have the durability to qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League.

Barriers leading into the forecourt made a pathway for the players and music played from the adjacent stage, with Crazy Train, written and performed by Birmingham’s own Ozzy Osbourne, on repeat.

Flags and scarves were handed out to those who stood close to those barriers, awaiting the players. They arrived to plumes of blue smoke, children on parents’ shoulders and the catalogue of songs being sung for most in the squad. Crazy Train stayed in the background, an appropriate song title given where Villa found themselves: on a journey that nobody wants to get off.

“We arrived here and the supporters were waiting for us,” said Emery. “They helped us. We transmitted it on the pitch.”

In Villa’s words, the plan was to give “players a pre-match boost” — Thursday’s exertions in northern France, the lack of preparation time for this game and the natural wear and tear that had taken hold were sensed to be a threat.

According to Emery, players had one “so, so quiet” training session before Bournemouth, at a later scheduled time on Saturday morning to allow them a lie-in. Friday, having got back late from Lille the night before, had simply been a recovery day. “Most of the preparation was done at the team hotel yesterday evening (Saturday) with meetings,” said Emery.

“The key is getting used to (the) Thursday-Sunday (schedule that comes with UEFA’s second- and third-tier club competitions),” added McGinn. “The manager has got a complete no-excuse strategy. We’ve got a lot of injuries. A lot of players carrying knocks — you see Leon (Bailey) there, heavily strapped up.”

Multiple players are indeed pushing through the pain barrier — Bailey has an issue with his left knee, McGinn himself routinely tries to stretch out his right calf and Pau Torres wore strapping high up on both thighs. Still, in a testament to their robustness, the only two changes Emery made from Thursday were enforced; Douglas Luiz remained suspended domestically and Nicolo Zaniolo was injured against Lille and had to come off before half-time.

In an era where Premier League managers, boasting unimaginable riches, squad depth and experience in European competitions, moan about the schedule and inevitably end up having things their own way, Emery prefers to just get on with it.

From a stylistic viewpoint, Emery knew Bournemouth would require Villa to bank on their resolve.

Andoni Iraola’s side are based on high-pressing and man-marking schemes, set traps out of possession that teams, without precision in their passing, walk into and arrived fresh from a full week without a game. “When you’re tired, a team you don’t want to play is Bournemouth,” said McGinn, citing their man-marking system being comparable to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United sides of the recent past.

Bournemouth took the lead from the spot just past the half-hour after Matty Cash brought down Milos Kerkez, yet the initial danger came when Moussa Diaby got nudged off the ball by centre-back Marcos Senesi, a by-product of the visitors’ man-marking scheme that involves following opposing attackers into deep areas.

Villa, though, have built an inherent toughness and an ability to ride moments of pressure while still thinking clearly. Through Saturday’s light training session and video meetings, Emery had crafted a plan to exploit Bournemouth’s shortcomings.

McGinn explained that Emery wanted his players to start deeper, attempting to draw Bournemouth’s players higher, making space for a pacy front line of Bailey, Diaby and Ollie Watkins, all in one-v-ones, to exploit.

The equaliser came on transition, with Villa regaining the ball deep in their half and five Bournemouth players caught ahead of play. It was Bailey, shortly after his patched-up left knee was clattered into, who struck a whipped, outside-of-the-foot pass for Morgan Rogers, the 21-year-old winter-window signing cutting inside, scoring and providing another timely reminder of his precociousness.

McGinn, all the while, was playing chest pointed to the floor, backside protruding and charging around. He would lean his body into challenges, run without stopping and scream at team-mates. At the break, the Scot exchanged words with his new midfield partner Youri Tielemans, in apparent disbelief that the Belgium international had not played a cross into the box with seconds left until the interval.

Tielemans argued he did not want to risk Villa being stung on the counter. It was a matter swiftly squashed, yet pointed to further proof of sharpened minds.

After the break, Emiliano Martinez noted the late-afternoon sun was in the eyes of his goalkeeping counterpart Neto. Before one inswinging corner, he ran over to set-piece coach Austin MacPhee to advise that deliveries should be directed towards the Brazilian, with Villa players putting pressure on him.

Villa’s second half was among their best of the season.

Other wins have been more notable, but this was a demonstration of steeliness and know-how.

Emery did not make his first substitution until the 87th minute, a sign of how Villa — against the expected odds — had overpowered their opponents as the game wore on.

Perhaps it should not have been a surprise. In the 10 matches that have directly followed a European fixture since qualifying for the group stage in August, Villa have only lost once. In Emery’s mind, the decision whether to prioritise chasing a top-four finish and the Champions League spot that brings or winning a trophy is non-existent. In his eyes, they can do both.

It was a 20th Premier League victory, Villa’s most in a single season since the competition’s 1992-93 inaugural year.

Players have now been given two days off and some, including McGinn, will head for the golf course to decompress.

They will reconvene later in the week to prepare for Saturday night’s visit of Chelsea, with the finish line in sight.



The stuff about Unsi wanting to get the team geed up by the crowd as they arrived at the ground, and his tactical tweaks demonstrate to me that he's a bloody genius.

He admitted he got it wrong against Brentford and then leads/coaches/cajoles the team to wins at Arsenal, Lille and yesterday.

Excellent stuff.

[Villa Lew]

Considering the week we've had and against a decent team, that was a superb performnce. Ollie once again brilliant, MOTD showed a stat for goal involvements in Europe's top 5 leagues and he's 2nd to Kane with 31, which says it all. I thought our 3rd goal has to be a contender for goal of the month. We've now got a week off, hooray.

Message to the Holte Enders, please can we have another song for Ollie, the present one's useless, the great man deserves a lot better.

[Risso]

I thought Bournemouth did OK. Came to play and not shut up shop, which made for a decent game.

[eamonn]

This another one bollocks is another thing that is going to get on my tits. Tsk!

Another wan.

Another wan kenobi.

Even references the cracking one off the fetlock some seem to be engaging in tonight as well. I have no idea what I am saying, but I am rather mental this week 😉

You'll be fine, more wanking and less wincing.

[PaulWinch again]

I thought Bournemouth did OK. Came to play and not shut up shop, which made for a decent game.

Ah, the mask has slipped Pep!

[eamonn]

Had some young lads over from Derry to watch the match, the hotel they booked into the Villa team were also booked into the same hotel,one who's actually a Villa supporter got his photo with Uri Emery

How did they afford it? Tech jobs by the banks of the Foyle now, huh? Or maybe the Villa are "slumming it" in an Ibis.

[usav]

We are so close to being a title race team, in fact it’s only a couple of results.

Man Utd x2

[Somniloquism]

Had some young lads over from Derry to watch the match, the hotel they booked into the Villa team were also booked into the same hotel,one who's actually a Villa supporter got his photo with Uri Emery

How did they afford it? Tech jobs by the banks of the Foyle now, huh? Or maybe the Villa are "slumming it" in an Ibis.

Villa use the Clayton nowadays I believe. Can be pricey still at about 150 a night.