Aston Villa v Bournemouth Post Match Thread

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Cash's foul was disappointing, in part because I didn't want the good will he's got at the moment to dissipate quickly given he's probably the most maligned regular in our squad (often unfairly).

As disappointing it as it was, their winger pulled the ball back which I don't think anybody would have predicted. It was a brilliant bit of skill and I won't blame Cash for getting caught out. 99.99% of defenders would have fallen for it. Hindsight says he shouldn't have even tried to make the tackle in the box but that will only be the response of boorish know-alls. Any other day it would have been a lovely tackle.

[oldtimernow]

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.

Children on parent’s shoulders takes me back to May 1957…

[ChicagoLion]

Cash's foul was disappointing, in part because I didn't want the good will he's got at the moment to dissipate quickly given he's probably the most maligned regular in our squad (often unfairly).

As disappointing it as it was, their winger pulled the ball back which I don't think anybody would have predicted. It was a brilliant bit of skill and I won't blame Cash for getting caught out. 99.99% of defenders would have fallen for it. Hindsight says he shouldn't have even tried to make the tackle in the box but that will only be the response of boorish know-alls. Any other day it would have been a lovely tackle.

Not how I saw it, yes some skill involved but you don’t go to ground sliding in the penalty area unless you know you will win the ball.
I like a lot about Cash but he is rash and makes poor decisions defensively.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Cash's foul was disappointing, in part because I didn't want the good will he's got at the moment to dissipate quickly given he's probably the most maligned regular in our squad (often unfairly).

As disappointing it as it was, their winger pulled the ball back which I don't think anybody would have predicted. It was a brilliant bit of skill and I won't blame Cash for getting caught out. 99.99% of defenders would have fallen for it. Hindsight says he shouldn't have even tried to make the tackle in the box but that will only be the response of boorish know-alls. Any other day it would have been a lovely tackle.

Not how I saw it, yes some skill involved but you don’t go to ground sliding in the penalty area unless you know you will win the ball.
I like a lot about Cash but he is rash and makes poor decisions defensively.

You're a hard man to please, Chicago. A fucking great full back obviously but a hard man to please.

[ChicagoLion]

Cash's foul was disappointing, in part because I didn't want the good will he's got at the moment to dissipate quickly given he's probably the most maligned regular in our squad (often unfairly).

As disappointing it as it was, their winger pulled the ball back which I don't think anybody would have predicted. It was a brilliant bit of skill and I won't blame Cash for getting caught out. 99.99% of defenders would have fallen for it. Hindsight says he shouldn't have even tried to make the tackle in the box but that will only be the response of boorish know-alls. Any other day it would have been a lovely tackle.

Not how I saw it, yes some skill involved but you don’t go to ground sliding in the penalty area unless you know you will win the ball.
I like a lot about Cash but he is rash and makes poor decisions defensively.

You're a hard man to please, Chicago. A fucking great full back obviously but a hard man to please.

No mate, I was the bloke using a bit of trickery, putting the full back on his arse and going down like a felled tree to win the pen.

[eye digress]

Cash's foul was disappointing, in part because I didn't want the good will he's got at the moment to dissipate quickly given he's probably the most maligned regular in our squad (often unfairly).

As disappointing it as it was, their winger pulled the ball back which I don't think anybody would have predicted. It was a brilliant bit of skill and I won't blame Cash for getting caught out. 99.99% of defenders would have fallen for it. Hindsight says he shouldn't have even tried to make the tackle in the box but that will only be the response of boorish know-alls. Any other day it would have been a lovely tackle.

Also, Cash has credit in the bank from last Thursday when he seemed to be the only outfield player capable of changing the course of the game in the regulation 90.

Got kinda lost amid the penalty antics.

[brontebilly]

Cash's foul was disappointing, in part because I didn't want the good will he's got at the moment to dissipate quickly given he's probably the most maligned regular in our squad (often unfairly).

As disappointing it as it was, their winger pulled the ball back which I don't think anybody would have predicted. It was a brilliant bit of skill and I won't blame Cash for getting caught out. 99.99% of defenders would have fallen for it. Hindsight says he shouldn't have even tried to make the tackle in the box but that will only be the response of boorish know-alls. Any other day it would have been a lovely tackle.

Defenders should only be going to ground in the box as a last resort 😂 was poor from Cash

[VillaTim]

That was mental fatigue we saw with Cash , a brain fart moment and he knew it instantly . Tiredness can lead to poor decision making. Fair play to him he had a good game after that . He was dead on his feet last 10 mins .

[amfy]

That was mental fatigue we saw with Cash , a brain fart moment and he knew it instantly . Tiredness can lead to poor decision making. Fair play to him he had a good game after that . He was dead on his feet last 10 mins .

I also noticed him trying to cover 2 players, he moved from one to the other as they passed the ball so it could be as much someone else not being where they should have been.

[Pete3206]

Them bloody flame things before the game. God knows how hot it must be for Witton Lower patrons, but it gives off a right blast to the chops in the Upper tier.

[dave.woodhall]

Them bloody flame things before the game. God knows how hot it must be for Witton Lower patrons, but it gives off a right blast to the chops in the Upper tier.

They'll come in handy if the Stripeys get promoted.

[Baldy]

That was mental fatigue we saw with Cash , a brain fart moment and he knew it instantly . Tiredness can lead to poor decision making. Fair play to him he had a good game after that . He was dead on his feet last 10 mins .

I also noticed him trying to cover 2 players, he moved from one to the other as they passed the ball so it could be as much someone else not being where they should have been.

Yes, he deserves a lot of credit. Returned from injury to play 120 minutes and then 90 minutes 3 days later. No wonder he was knackered.

[Clark W Griswold]

Them bloody flame things before the game. God knows how hot it must be for Witton Lower patrons, but it gives off a right blast to the chops in the Upper tier.

I was in the rail seating where the away fans normally sit. Didn't really notice it from there, but every time i look at the fireworks shooting up i worry about one misfiring and having someones eye out !

[pauliewalnuts]

every time i look at the fireworks shooting up i worry about one misfiring and having someones eye out !

Gidmanesque.

[Martyn Smith]

Them bloody flame things before the game. God knows how hot it must be for Witton Lower patrons, but it gives off a right blast to the chops in the Upper tier.

I was in the rail seating where the away fans normally sit. Didn't really notice it from there, but every time i look at the fireworks shooting up i worry about one misfiring and having someones eye out !

It's so environmentally friendly...