Aston Villa v Olympiacos - Post-Match Thread

[Brazilian Villain]

After going to bed last night feeling pretty disconsolate, I’m strangely optimistic about the return leg now. Score in the first 20 minutes and I think they’ll be there for the taking.

I'm the opposite. Hope you're right, and I'm wrong though.

[VillaTim]

The non penalty for the challenge on Bailey has to be seen to be believed. That was as blatant as it gets. They disallow our goal for a slight tug on a shirt and they fail to give that pen. Is it anti PL bias or is it just plain old incompetence?

I saw it as exactly the same as the Saka one against Bayern. Checking the run slightly to make sure that contact happens.

Thought the same watching the replay. Not as blatant as the Saka one but Bailey made sure he got the contact all the same. What was his goal disallowed for?

It was never a pen. Bailey did a Richard Burton and deserves the Oscar .

[Neil Hawkes]

If someone can explain to me how a player who handles the ball 3 times, then brings Duran down for a penalty, is still on the pitch with 4 bookable offences, and no yellow card, I would be eternally grateful.

[FrankyH]

I think one or two of our players looked a little. overawed by it, Rogers as an example, and that's no suprise given his age and lack of experience etc. But grew into it too.

We just didn't pass well, they anticipated a lot of our passing play and made us look really bad at times. I can't see it being so bad again next week.

My mate text me who was watching it on the box , and mentioned the Olympiacos kit clashing with ours. Didn't see it myself , might be clutching at straws , but would explain McGinn passing directly to their players  5 or 6 times last night ! I just think we played poor , they made their own luck. Feel a little more positive today than leaving the ground last night. A massive task , but not unacheivable.

[algy]

Spoke to a couple of Olympiacos supporters last night.  Nice lads, but were saying that it wasn't over and they were full of nerves for the 2nd leg.  Got the impression that they're every bit as wary of a "dodgy 2 goal lead" as we are.

I dunno, I'm not expecting us to go through now, but at the same time there's part of me that thinks maybe, just maybe, .... 2 goals isn't completely impossible to overhaul.

As for last night.  I feel for Olsen really, he's not an awful keeper and he didn't do that badly last night.  But the way we defend isn't that effective with the best keeper in the world in goal, let alone a player who's his backup.

I think the injuries this season are really catching up with us now.  Hopefully there's enough there to push through the last few games, but it does look like a few players - Dougie in particular - are running on fumes.


Oh, and just to say I bloody love Leon Bailey.  What a player that lad is. 

[algy]

I think one or two of our players looked a little. overawed by it, Rogers as an example, and that's no suprise given his age and lack of experience etc. But grew into it too.

We just didn't pass well, they anticipated a lot of our passing play and made us look really bad at times. I can't see it being so bad again next week.

My mate text me who was watching it on the box , and mentioned the Olympiacos kit clashing with ours. Didn't see it myself , might be clutching at straws , but would explain McGinn passing directly to their players  5 or 6 times last night ! I just think we played poor , they made their own luck. Feel a little more positive today than leaving the ground last night. A massive task , but not unacheivable.

We were at the game ... my dad commented about the kits looking very similar too. 

[144 Hard Boiled Eggs]

Brilliant save to deny Rogers, and then a stupid shirt pull by Langlet stopped us from going in front. That could have changed the whole nature of the game.

The stonewall pen on Bailey was irrelevant as it was 1-2 straight away anyway. If we’d have got the pen, the game changes and we don’t get the Watkins goal. I’m watching the highlights show and it’s just silly of the pundits to moan about this as if it affected the game.

Langlet letting the ball run out when he knew it was rightfully a corner was the most stupid and costly mistake of the game I think. Threw away a brilliant comeback.

Olsen should have saved the fourth, and our players shouldn’t have helped them delay Dougie on our pen.

Absolutely mate. I just couldn't believe that Lenglet let the ball roll out for a corner. He'd obviously played the ball last.

[PeterWithe]

Just watched the highlights again, to be on the wrong side of ALL of the marginal refereeing calls is very unfortunate, even with our penalty, I didn't see at the game but their player has to bring down Duran after handling the ball twice before we get the call.

Also didn't notice that it hit the post rather than being well wide.

Of the officiating, the instance that caused me to really lose my shit was first half when they had a free kick, took it, and four of their players in a line with me were offside, lino keeps flag down and they get a corner. Incompetence or corruption?

[Percy McCarthy]

Just watched the highlights again, to be on the wrong side of ALL of the marginal refereeing calls is very unfortunate, even with our penalty, I didn't see at the game but their player has to bring down Duran after handing the ball twice before we get the call.

Also didn't notice that it hit the post rather than being well wide.

Of the officiating, the instance that caused me to really lose my shit was first half when they had a free kick, took it, and four of their players in a line with me were offside, lino keeps flag down and they get a corner. Incompetence or corruption?

Yes, I mentioned that at the time to the babby. If they score from the corner VAR doesn’t call that back.

[DB]

After a nightmare journey back last night, just able to post now.
Awful, Doug played worst I have seen him since the SG days. Olsen playing put fear of God into our defence, they looked so nervy - so many mis-placed passes. They did surprise us the way they went for it esp 1st half.
Bad day at the office all round, hopefully Martínez, Pau Torres and Tielemans will be back this weekend.

Honestly id rather save all three for Thursday night.

Give gauci a start vs brighton.  Id do lenglet and carlos at cb with konsa on bench.

Get timmy in there give him a start and lets just see how it goes

I don’t think we can afford to take any chances we don’t need to with CL qualification. It’s what the owners and many of us fans see as success these days.

Yeah, they are thinking longer term and financial impact.

[Percy McCarthy]

After a nightmare journey back last night, just able to post now.
Awful, Doug played worst I have seen him since the SG days. Olsen playing put fear of God into our defence, they looked so nervy - so many mis-placed passes. They did surprise us the way they went for it esp 1st half.
Bad day at the office all round, hopefully Martínez, Pau Torres and Tielemans will be back this weekend.

Honestly id rather save all three for Thursday night.

Give gauci a start vs brighton.  Id do lenglet and carlos at cb with konsa on bench.

Get timmy in there give him a start and lets just see how it goes

I don’t think we can afford to take any chances we don’t need to with CL qualification. It’s what the owners and many of us fans see as success these days.

Yeah, they are thinking longer term and financial impact.

Exactly.

[Demitri_C]

I think one or two of our players looked a little. overawed by it, Rogers as an example, and that's no suprise given his age and lack of experience etc. But grew into it too.

We just didn't pass well, they anticipated a lot of our passing play and made us look really bad at times. I can't see it being so bad again next week.

My mate text me who was watching it on the box , and mentioned the Olympiacos kit clashing with ours. Didn't see it myself , might be clutching at straws , but would explain McGinn passing directly to their players  5 or 6 times last night ! I just think we played poor , they made their own luck. Feel a little more positive today than leaving the ground last night. A massive task , but not unacheivable.

We were at the game ... my dad commented about the kits looking very similar too.

Not saying anyone is using that as a excuse but it would be the same for them.

It was just a overall poor performance.  We cant argue result even with bad calls. You have to look at yourselves when you concede 4 at home

[Neil Hawkes]

Any update on the fan that required medical attention?

When we came back up the steward said he was ok. He wasn’t in a good way but the fan who gave him CPR said she was a paramedic. Hats off to her as she was fantastic.

Good to hear.

[LeeS]

There is a lot of anger about last night’s performance. All I see are a bunch of very tired players (physically and emotionally) who have been on a journey many of them have never been on before.  It’s been an incredible season. I’m so proud of them all, including Dougie. He stood up in that cauldron and did his best under immense pressure. I have faith that we can turn this around. One last push…

[paul_e]

The non penalty for the challenge on Bailey has to be seen to be believed. That was as blatant as it gets. They disallow our goal for a slight tug on a shirt and they fail to give that pen. Is it anti PL bias or is it just plain old incompetence?

I saw it as exactly the same as the Saka one against Bayern. Checking the run slightly to make sure that contact happens.

Thought the same watching the replay. Not as blatant as the Saka one but Bailey made sure he got the contact all the same. What was his goal disallowed for?

The most unnatural thing about it from either player was the way the defender clipped the ball and then lifted his heel much higher than normal between Baileys legs before stepping quite wide as jis foot came down to give Bailey nowhere to go. Whether Bailey was trying to go down or not I don't think he actually had much choice. It was a clear foul and absolutely intentional from the defender because he knew Bailey was getting a shot off otherwise.