Brighton and Hove Albion vs Aston Villa Pre-Match

[Small Rodent]

I’ll be in London on Sunday. Can anyone recommend a decent pub / bar to watch this in please?

If you have the nerve to travel south of the river to the real London, I think a lot of Villa fans watch games at a bar called Feed the Yak in Elephant and Castle. Careful you don’t get mugged by hipsters, flipsters and finger-popping daddios

Edit

https://x.com/feedtheyakbar?s=21&t=fPyiXcae7CCzHj_x8UdphA

I’ve watched villa in there. It’s fine, if a little cramped. Made out of shipping containers I think. But totally Villa!

[Rigadon]

Big game.  Another one (as a certain left back might say!).  I cannot believe anybody is suggesting we rest players for this game.  It really boggles my brain!  Even if we weren't already 2 goals down in the other massive game we have in the next week, it'd be madness to not play the absolute strongest team v Brighton that we possibly can. 

[Monty]

There's just a small part of me that wonders if the solution is a back three of Konsa, Torres and Lenglet, Youri (or Tim if he's not fit) and Doug in midfield with McGinn as one of the more advanced players, just to give Torres more freedom to push forward a bit and join the midfield, give everyone in there more options around them, give us a bit more bite up the pitch with McGinn...

Disadvantages here are many. First, 3/5 man defences can, as we saw against Spurs, have the effect of pinning yourself back (though so did whatever we were doing against Chelsea). Second, existence of Lenglet. Third, we might have that problem where we beat the press and lack runners to actually do any, you know, attacking (though both Youri and Doug have got forward a fair bit in that way).

I'm just racking my brains for a way in which we can get some control back in our midfield though. McGinn and Luiz have looked not so much like a sieve as just a big fucking hole in the middle of the pitch. Even when we do get the ball a bit up the pitch, we look like we're just sprinting at the box in a kind of frantic hope. We need to find a new way to do it - even if the above idea might just be absolutely terrible.

[Drummond]

We go 4-3-3

Defence stays the same..

Cash Konsa Torres and Digne

McGinn Iroegbunam Luiz as the 3.

And then only play 3 forward thinking players instead of 4. Which means we play Watkins, Bailey and one of Diaby, Rogers or Zaniolo.

McGinn and Luiz like to play a bit further forward anyway and Iroegbunam is the direct Kamara replacement. I think that may be weaker than Kamara, but it allows the others to play their natural game more and gives a better base to play from.

[Footy-Vill]

Brighton fans - online at least - are getting quite critical of their manager, several reckon they won't get another point all season. Now with Villa in town let's not be the ones handing out the usual presents please. 2-1 Villa.

They sell their best players at the start (and sometimes on the middle) of the season so are continuously rebuilding, and this year the few quality players they have left have either been injured or in poor form..... so lets blame the manager?

I suppose it might be that like Emery, Di Zerbi persists with the tested style of play when they don't have the players to do it I suppose.

Roberto De Zerbi is leaving after having his head turned and has his next job lined up it's clear maybe not obvious where though. I do wonder if it will be Man Utd or Chelsea or it will be to another league- likely series A

Richard Keys said Thomas Frank is taking over at Brighton.

[VillaTim]

Brighton fans - online at least - are getting quite critical of their manager, several reckon they won't get another point all season. Now with Villa in town let's not be the ones handing out the usual presents please. 2-1 Villa.

They sell their best players at the start (and sometimes on the middle) of the season so are continuously rebuilding, and this year the few quality players they have left have either been injured or in poor form..... so lets blame the manager?

I suppose it might be that like Emery, Di Zerbi persists with the tested style of play when they don't have the players to do it I suppose.

Roberto De Zerbi is leaving after having his head turned and has his next job lined up it's clear maybe not obvious where though. I do wonder if it will be Man Utd or Chelsea or it will be to another league- likely series A

Richard Keys said Thomas Frank is taking over at Brighton.

As if Hairy hands would know .

[Marlon From Bearwood]

I’ll be in London on Sunday. Can anyone recommend a decent pub / bar to watch this in please?

What part of london you going to?

Central / east.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

I’ll be in London on Sunday. Can anyone recommend a decent pub / bar to watch this in please?

What part of london you going to?

Hopefully, the non-shithole part.

Although Marlon is from Bearwood so........

Ha, I’m not actually!

Cheers for the suggestions so far, everyone.

[Footy-Vill]

Well there's a good history down at Brighton and 3pts would be a really good way to pressure Spurs and virtually consolidate our Champions League position.
It's amazing what the team have achieved this season really.

Brighton have failed to win any of their last 6 matches in the league
And  Villa have scored 2 or more goals in 7 of past 10 away matches. I think have looked very good away from home in recent games and backing Villa to win!

Couple of changes for rest and rotation
Olsen or Gaucci could feature?
Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Digne,
Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Iroegbunam,
Diaby, Rogers
Duran , Watkins.

Having won 6-1 at Villa park I think it will be a strong showing again
3-1 win!
Watkins X2 and Duran.

Not sure about your mathematics skills Footy, but with a goalkeeper that makes 12 players starting?

My mistake. I'll revise this and also now include Zaniolo.
Moreno too perhaps

Olson/Gaucci
Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Moreno
McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Iroegbunam, Zaniolo
Duran , Watkins.

[Bad English]

That is not Mathematics; that is counting.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

That is not Mathematics; that is counting.

Does not being able to count count as counting?

[Bad English]

That is not Mathematics; that is counting.

Does not being able to count count as counting?

It was something my brother (a Maths teacher and Options-trading wizard) once said when I asked him to calculate a restaurant bill split as, ho-ho, he was the Maths teacher. :-)

[Nii Lamptey]

Not even going to attempt to second guess the lineup - NOT a clue! In Unai we trust.

Bit of a banana skin, but I have every confidence that we'll win, cement 4th, and then turn our attention to getting an extra trip to Athens at the end of the month!  UTV

[VillaTim]

Brighton are due a performance which is a cause for concern . They've been crap for weeks .

[ChicagoLion]

I’ll be in London on Sunday. Can anyone recommend a decent pub / bar to watch this in please?

If you have the nerve to travel south of the river to the real London, I think a lot of Villa fans watch games at a bar called Feed the Yak in Elephant and Castle. Careful you don’t get mugged by hipsters, flipsters and finger-popping daddios

Edit

https://x.com/feedtheyakbar?s=21&t=fPyiXcae7CCzHj_x8UdphA

I’ve watched villa in there. It’s fine, if a little cramped. Made out of shipping containers I think. But totally Villa!

Is the Villa pub by the Oval still going?