Aston Villa vs Chelsea pre match - March 4th 7.30pm

[Flamingo Lane]

0-3 is what I've gone for on the Skybet6.

[Woody17]

When we need to step up, we’ll do what we usually do in these situations. Lose, I’m afraid.

[LeeB]

would take a draw but the problem is , If Emery sets up for a draw and plays that slow passive football and then it backfires and they score , we lose.   Id just go for the jugular from the start and set up to win , fast , direct and plenty of intensity.


Nervous already.

We can do it when we want, we did it to Forest and Newcastle at home in the run in last season.

[Meanwood Villa]

I don't think they're that good that they'll hammer us but I still think we'll lose. 0-1 or 1-2 is my guess.

[eamonn]

0-3 is what I've gone for on the Skybet6.

March '99, Tore Andre Flo tearing us a new one after being top at Christmas.

[Villafirst]

On team selection: Don't pick Torres! He's the weak link at the back. Mings or Lindelof are proper leaders. Start Maatsen, and certainly Tammy. Go at Chelsea on the front foot. They drew with Leeds and Burnley at home recently, despite being in the lead.

[dorsetvillian]

Press them high, as the keeper is a liability. Same at corners, someone on his toes and load the area. We have to be aggressive in the tackle (They do like a sending off) The crowd needs to be loud and proud, no negativity, no nerves. This is one of the most important games at Villa Park for years, and we can certainly beat Chelsea.

[PaulWinch again]

On team selection: Don't pick Torres! He's the weak link at the back. Mings or Lindelof are proper leaders. Start Maatsen, and certainly Tammy. Go at Chelsea on the front foot. They drew with Leeds and Burnley at home recently, despite being in the lead.

Didn’t Torres start basically all of our winning run?

[Monty]

Edit: less gratuitously meanly - I don't really get how people can have watched us when we're good and concluded that Torres is nothing more than a weak link.

[LeeB]

0-3 is what I've gone for on the Skybet6.

March '99, Tore Andre Flo tearing us a new one after being top at Christmas.

Was chatting to my brother at that game about how good Flo was when the bloke in front of got up and slapped my brother round the face, as you do. He got it back in spades and we moved our season tickets after.

[LeeS]

I wonder if we'll fall into the trap of involving McGinn before he is ready to give them a gee-up, only to cause longer term damage?

Generally speaking, the manager doesn’t get to decide these things nowadays. Even Unai has to listen to the advice of the medical staff.

[LeeS]

I may be clutching at straws here, but we’ve played a lot of “low block’, “come and beat us“ type teams lately. All the way back to Everton, who were like 2 solid rows of defenders.

Chelsea won’t play like that. And we won’t have as much of the ball. That at least means we’ll find space.

That’s all I’ve got. Just give us a draw please.

[Goldenballs]

Can't remember the exact numbers but it was something like we've won 2 of the last 10 when we've had 65%+ possession.

I reckon the crowd will be really up for it, hopefully the energy isn't sapped with 30 mins of sideways passing walking football and no shots.

Maybe more of a ding dong game will get us going. Hopefully Wolves was rock bottom and we'll bounce back like we very often do under Emery.

[Villafirst]

On team selection: Don't pick Torres! He's the weak link at the back. Mings or Lindelof are proper leaders. Start Maatsen, and certainly Tammy. Go at Chelsea on the front foot. They drew with Leeds and Burnley at home recently, despite being in the lead.

Didn’t Torres start basically all of our winning run?

Yes, but don't forget Torres had a midfield of Kamara, McGinn and Tielemans in front of him, plus Onana! The midfield is simply far weaker now.....

[Dave]

On team selection: Don't pick Torres! He's the weak link at the back. Mings or Lindelof are proper leaders. Start Maatsen, and certainly Tammy. Go at Chelsea on the front foot. They drew with Leeds and Burnley at home recently, despite being in the lead.

Didn’t Torres start basically all of our winning run?

Yes, but don't forget Torres had a midfield of Kamara, McGinn and Tielemans in front of him, plus Onana! The midfield is simply far weaker now.....

Those players were all available and playing (for the most part) at the start of the season, when we couldn't buy a win. Our run of form began five minutes after Pau replaced Mings half an hour in against Fulham, when Ollie equalised. He was then in the side for the months of wins that followed.

Obviously it's more complicated than that and Pau certainly isn't without his flaws but calling him the weak link is just daft.