Brugge v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[paul_e]

Another huge bonus from last night's match was seeing all our players that have been injured, coming back into the squad.

Unlike last season, when we ran out of steam, it feels like we're just getting going this year.

The only slight concern on that point is that we don't have a back-up striker in the Champions League squad with Malen not being included.  Means we haven't got an option to change things if we need one.

Rashford has played as a 9 plenty of times.

[brontebilly]

They won 3-1 in Bergamo and are a very decent side who look really well organised. Let's not call it over just yet.

3-1 away in Europe is the way though. Doesn't matter who the opposition is, in the last 16 of the Champions League that is a big result.

 It's obviously a very good position for us to be in, but I don't think it is quite a decisive one just yet.  An early goal for them next week to take the lead on the night changes things.  I hope we go out with intent to win the game rather than just protect the lead. 

There's always a chance but we've played them twice on their own cabbage patch now and we should not have lot the 1st game despite shite, the balance of play will be different at home and I reckon we'll end up something like 3 nil on the night, these are in the same bracket as Celtic.

I don't see that at all, think Brugge are a very good team. Was impressed with them tactically last night. Letting our centre backs have the ball, pressure on Tielemans particularly, exposing Disasi's unease out of position (which they wouldnt have been able to prepare for really), sharp and aggressive on our attacking players. Their guy on left was seriously good.  1-3 was a bit of a travesty of a score line on the balance of play.

We are in a great position but I wouldn't be all that confident. Our performances continue to worry me. It's the same all season, a 20-30 min blast every now and again. Emery losing plot on sideline again.

If Villa had played like them you'd have been giving the entire team 3-5 in your ratings and moaning how shit we were for conceding 3 and we all know it.

If Auntie had balls etc

We were very fortunate to only concede the one last night, not sure that's a controversial take.

[nick harper]

They missed the target a few times in the second half in very good positions which would have caused much angst if it had been at the other end.

[brontebilly]

Another huge bonus from last night's match was seeing all our players that have been injured, coming back into the squad.

Unlike last season, when we ran out of steam, it feels like we're just getting going this year.

The only slight concern on that point is that we don't have a back-up striker in the Champions League squad with Malen not being included.  Means we haven't got an option to change things if we need one.

Rashford has played as a 9 plenty of times.

Hasn't played a minute for us there yet though. So might be part of the loan agreement, he often  didn't try a leg at Man United when he wasn't played in his favoured position.

He was utterly anonymous last night, with his experience he should have been thriving in such an environment. Let their kid right back bully him I thought. Ramsey made some difference yet again when he came on there.

[PeterWithesShin]

It's very concerning that we're 3-1 up after the away leg. I couldn't sleep last night through worry.

[PeterWithe]

Thought Rashford looked a threat when he had the ball and should have scored. Not so great without the ball but as a forward, you factor that in a bit.

[AV82EC]

It's very concerning that we're 3-1 up after the away leg. I couldn't sleep last night through worry.

Yes it’s very concerning on the back of our notoriously awful home form. Emery and the team need to take a long hard look at themselves.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think we should really write a public letter of apology to the Belgian government, UEFA, the football club Brugge, the city of Bruges*, the FA, the Belgian Waffle Manufacturers Association, and Plastic Bertrand, apologising for us to have had the temerity to win 3-1.



* make your fucking minds up, you dual-languaged pipe disputers.

[paul_e]

Another huge bonus from last night's match was seeing all our players that have been injured, coming back into the squad.

Unlike last season, when we ran out of steam, it feels like we're just getting going this year.

The only slight concern on that point is that we don't have a back-up striker in the Champions League squad with Malen not being included.  Means we haven't got an option to change things if we need one.

Rashford has played as a 9 plenty of times.

Hasn't played a minute for us there yet though. So might be part of the loan agreement, he often  didn't try a leg at Man United when he wasn't played in his favoured position.

He was utterly anonymous last night, with his experience he should have been thriving in such an environment. Let their kid right back bully him I thought. Ramsey made some difference yet again when he came on there.

Their right back that he beat more often than the "seriously good" left winger of theirs beat our disaster of a right back do you mean?

[Percy McCarthy]

Great result but Brugge are a very good side and will cause problems at Villa Park. It was a fortunate win really, they missed three good chances in the second half and handed us two with mistakes. Centre backs were surprisingly very solid, Mings has likes of me eating plenty of humble pie tonight. Not many centre backs would have the guts to dive at that header going across goal. Hits hairs on his knees and deflects wide. Thought Emery had a very fortunate night with an abomination of a selection at right back. No need for Bailey and McGinn to come off. Sub at end caused chaos and an unnecessary shouting match on sideline with Cash.

Martinez 7 - one great save but last season he saves their goal.
Disasi 3 - absolutely not a right back. Awful first half but on Emery for a ridiculous selection.
Konsa 8 - I've been a big critic but probably his best display of the season. Calm for once.
Mings 9 - makes Bailey's goal by brilliantly winning that header, saves a certain goal and did the basics incredibly well.
Digne 4 - poor and incredibly fortunate for diving under that cross that Mings bailed him out with
McGinn 7 - didn't understand that change. Thought our midfield two did well considering the mess in front of them
Tielemans 7 - solid display considering his workload recently.
Bailey 7 - very surprising sub, cracking finish for the goal. Worked very hard in and out of possession.
Rashford 3 - Mike Skinner tribute act, "I've got nothing, absolutely nothing" could and probably should have gone at half time.
Rogers 5 - shite first half where he coughed up possession far too often, not sure how he avoided the four man cull but made the own goal with a dangerous cross
Watkins 4 - fortunate Malen not registered. Rotten really, fatigue must be an issue. Touch was mahogany esque.

JJ and Kamara were very good. Cash missed a glorious chance and fouled for peno, caught horribly square for one chance though. Asensio nearly scored with first touch and tucked away peno nicely. Was involved in some good play. Bogarde sub was unnecessary and caused panic.

The crosses that Disasi stopped in the first half, every one of them would have gone across our six-yard box had Cash been playing. As the second half proved.

Centre-halves “surprisingly solid”. Only surprising to those who can’t remember how solid they were in Emery’s first season.

Absolutely clueless. I honestly don’t know why you bother watching football, you have no idea what you’re looking at beyond ‘the bloke playing at right-back should always be a time-served right back, and never mind the results’.

Disasi was a disaster at right back 👍

The Mings and Konsa partnership conceded eightgoals in the last fifteen games of Emery’s first season. Didn’t concede more than one in any of those games, and kept seven clean sheets.

You’d have to be an absolute moron to be surprised they were solid.  Oh.

Look out everybody, Billy the Mick has somehow managed to read a cliche in the tabloids, and now he’s going to pretend he made it up.

Makes a change from homophobic slurs, gaslighting and questioning the mental health of people who correct his bizarre opinions with facts I suppose.

Have I missed something, Billy the Mick?
I suppose if your face fits you’ve got carte blanche.

He was calling me a silly, offensive name so I thought I’d see how he liked it, so I suppose his face must fit as well. I’d much rather focus on the laughably dim-witted football ramblings that others have pointed out, but he took it there and I ran with it.

And at least he is actually Irish. He was homophobic towards me and I’m married* with six kids.

*to a very beautiful woman. Dave Woodhall will tell you that I’m the undisputed world champion at punching above my weight.

[Percy McCarthy]

Great result but Brugge are a very good side and will cause problems at Villa Park. It was a fortunate win really, they missed three good chances in the second half and handed us two with mistakes. Centre backs were surprisingly very solid, Mings has likes of me eating plenty of humble pie tonight. Not many centre backs would have the guts to dive at that header going across goal. Hits hairs on his knees and deflects wide. Thought Emery had a very fortunate night with an abomination of a selection at right back. No need for Bailey and McGinn to come off. Sub at end caused chaos and an unnecessary shouting match on sideline with Cash.

Martinez 7 - one great save but last season he saves their goal.
Disasi 3 - absolutely not a right back. Awful first half but on Emery for a ridiculous selection.
Konsa 8 - I've been a big critic but probably his best display of the season. Calm for once.
Mings 9 - makes Bailey's goal by brilliantly winning that header, saves a certain goal and did the basics incredibly well.
Digne 4 - poor and incredibly fortunate for diving under that cross that Mings bailed him out with
McGinn 7 - didn't understand that change. Thought our midfield two did well considering the mess in front of them
Tielemans 7 - solid display considering his workload recently.
Bailey 7 - very surprising sub, cracking finish for the goal. Worked very hard in and out of possession.
Rashford 3 - Mike Skinner tribute act, "I've got nothing, absolutely nothing" could and probably should have gone at half time.
Rogers 5 - shite first half where he coughed up possession far too often, not sure how he avoided the four man cull but made the own goal with a dangerous cross
Watkins 4 - fortunate Malen not registered. Rotten really, fatigue must be an issue. Touch was mahogany esque.

JJ and Kamara were very good. Cash missed a glorious chance and fouled for peno, caught horribly square for one chance though. Asensio nearly scored with first touch and tucked away peno nicely. Was involved in some good play. Bogarde sub was unnecessary and caused panic.

The crosses that Disasi stopped in the first half, every one of them would have gone across our six-yard box had Cash been playing. As the second half proved.

Centre-halves “surprisingly solid”. Only surprising to those who can’t remember how solid they were in Emery’s first season.

Absolutely clueless. I honestly don’t know why you bother watching football, you have no idea what you’re looking at beyond ‘the bloke playing at right-back should always be a time-served right back, and never mind the results’.

Disasi was a disaster at right back 👍

The Mings and Konsa partnership conceded eightgoals in the last fifteen games of Emery’s first season. Didn’t concede more than one in any of those games, and kept seven clean sheets.

You’d have to be an absolute moron to be surprised they were solid.  Oh.

Look out everybody, Billy the Mick has somehow managed to read a cliche in the tabloids, and now he’s going to pretend he made it up.

Makes a change from homophobic slurs, gaslighting and questioning the mental health of people who correct his bizarre opinions with facts I suppose.

Gags about micks and the famine, makes a change from the gags you are more familiar with, I suppose...

Ooh, more sexuality-based bigotry.

Sounds like your priest was passing you more than just a wafer.

You called a decent performance by a football player ‘a disaster’ by the way (just a reminder as I know you struggle with short-term memory). So it was you who trivialised things like famines.

[olaftab]

Great result. Good performance against a decent side. Mings MOTM. Immense. Digne very good. Asensio always brings a touch of class and ups our level. Bailey some good and bad. Watkins awful. Rashford anonymous. Rodgers average to poor. Cash a car crash, penalty winning aside.

I was with you till I got to Rashford and then Rogers comment completely floored me. I assume Rodgers is a different player to UEFA PotM Rogers?

[olaftab]

Loved tonight.

Came out of the home end in the South Stand unscathed and made some Belgian friends.

Great support from the Villa faithful.

Can anybody tell me why Unai got booked please?

Ran on to the pitch and kept complaining. Were you here?😂

In Delaney’s now but not sure how I would know that. I was watching the game!

Ignite the emoji John it was that’ certain time of the night. If I knew where Delaney’s was would have come over to say hello😊

[Percy McCarthy]

Great result. Good performance against a decent side. Mings MOTM. Immense. Digne very good. Asensio always brings a touch of class and ups our level. Bailey some good and bad. Watkins awful. Rashford anonymous. Rodgers average to poor. Cash a car crash, penalty winning aside.

I was with you till I got to Rashford and then Rogers comment completely floored me. I assume Rodgers is a different player to UEFA PotM Rogers?

He did win that but he did struggle until he went wide, when he improved a fair bit - and Mings definitely should have won it shouldn’t he?

[jon collett]

Loved tonight.

Came out of the home end in the South Stand unscathed and made some Belgian friends.

Great support from the Villa faithful.

Can anybody tell me why Unai got booked please?

Ran on to the pitch and kept complaining. Were you here?😂

In Delaney’s now but not sure how I would know that. I was watching the game!

Ignite the emoji John it was that’ certain time of the night. If I knew where Delaney’s was would have come over to say hello😊

No worries. I see the yellow card but just didn’t know what it was for. Seems from the BBC it was for arguing rather than coming in the pitch.

I ended up at Cafe Pick which was ecstatic. Great fun.

I think I got better food and drink in the ground than the Villa supporters but had to walk back afterwards as no public transport and I couldn’t get to our shuttle buses!