Aston Villa 2 Brighton 2 Post Match Thread.

[Rudy65]

We consistently get in great attacking positions and then don’t take them. It’s not their keepers making great saves either. V frustrating

[PaulWinch again]

It’s not just defenders it’s actually working on how we defend as a team - they don’t look like they’re working together.

Love him, but Unai cost us that win today in my view. It was very obvious they were building up a head up steam and players (specifically Tielemans) were tiring and making mistakes. He waited too long to change it and it cost us the win.

This continued weakness as a team and conceding makes winning a sequence of games utterly impossible. See people criticising Ollie - he got a goal and an assist (and ran the line really well) that is more than enough output. But because we’re so shit as a team at defending it makes that look insufficient. Sort it out Unai, it’s been going on too long.

[DB]

Do we have a defensive coach?

[Villan82]

We have a significant defensive problem but I am more and more starting to think Emery doesn’t know how to sort it out.

So wasteful in the later stages of games and it just goes on and on.

I agree. Emery has no clue what to do, but Konsa simply should not be the RB.

You have had it in for Emery for ages, our best manager in a generation.

[ROBBO]

We had more than enough chances to put them away, Ollies decision making was off and he seems like Bailey to have lost a bit of speed, we missed Duran today so that tells you something. We looked a tired side at the end and i thought Brighton may go on and pinch it.Definately need a couple of players in January.

[Steve67]

When we are behind, we seem to play with a lack of heart, when we get in front, we play some lovely stuff.  At 2-1 up, Emery should be thinking about winning the game and how he might achieve that with what he has on the bench.  He fucked it up tonight by making subs too late and we could have lost it.  We didn't, but is 2-2 good enough against Brighton.  4 wins in 14 games and another two goals conceded.

[HolteLower]

Not good enough in too many departments.  Including, game management and substitutions by Emery.

Yep we have looked shagged out now across squad and management now for some weeks. We seem to have lost our grip. No grit. It is so disappointing to watch. I guess a plateau was inevitable. Now we will see what Unai and the squad are made of. Can they reset? Can we get reinforcements that are better than what we have? Can we get more clinical and stop giving away so many goals? I think we will only see further development into next season when we won't have the CL [unless we win it :-) ] and can concentrate on the Prem again.

[German James]

If we had had the penalty, or scored from the couple of good chances missed it would have a comfortable victory.

My auntie's having a pair of bollocks fitted as I type!

[Rudy65]

Disappointing, but overall the better team. If we had had the penalty, or scored from the couple of good chances missed it would have a comfortable victory.

Watkins, Rogers and Teilemans all did well. Bailey much improved.

Even having dropped the two points we are still only 2 points off 5th. This team are more than capable of going on a strong run in the new year.

Don't see where the strong run is coming from tbh

[CT Villan]

Brighton were nothing special, we should have won that comfortably. Our defence is a major cause for concern. Watkins also had several opportunities to put the game to bed, his finishing and decision-making were not good today. The subs seemed to hurt us too - Bailey needs to stay on as our only pacy attacking threat to pin back their defenders.

[Smithy]

That is a hugely frustrating result. Especially given how other results have gone in the last 24 hours.

We had the chances to be 3 or 4-1 up before they equalised, and even at the death Ollie skies it right under the posts.  I can't believe he didn't even get a shot away with his left foot when the ref played advantage from the Rogers pull-back booking.  I can't help but wonder if Duran misses those chances?  Maybe he wouldn't be in the position in the first place, who knows.  Either way, Ollie has a goal and an assist and I can't help but think he should have done more tonight.  Perhaps that's harsh.

We had 20 shots and 60% possession.  We should not be drawing games like this.

[HolteLower]

Do we have a defensive coach?

No we always fail to park it.

[PaulWinch again]

We had more than enough chances to put them away, Ollies decision making was off and he seems like Bailey to have lost a bit of speed, we missed Duran today so that tells you something. We looked a tired side at the end and i thought Brighton may go on and pinch it.Definately need a couple of players in January.

Duran’s replacement got a goal and an assist, not sure we missed really. Ollie’s decision was pretty bloody goal for the goal that should have won the game.

[VillaTim]

Emery got the line up wrong (Konsa RB ? ) and got the subs wrong (too late) .
We are a mid table team again , it is what it is .
Don't disrespect the FA Cup Emery , it's all that's left now this season.

[Monty]

Galactically annoying game. Mind-meltingly annoying. I feel like I've lost my sanity.

I get that sometimes we're second best and we get nothing out of the game. Other teams seem to sometimes scrape a point off with the edge of their nails and we never, ever do, but fine. The frustrating thing is we're throwing so many points away in games where we've actually dominated! It's been careless from the players and frankly not decisive enough from Unai, who was unsentimentally subbing players earlier on in the game at the beginning of the season, but now we're playing every other day has decided that Youri Tielemans ought to keep going until the lactic acid is actually dissolving his socks.

Thank god I can drink this one into the memory hole tomorrow.