Aston Villa v Liverpool Pre-Match Thread

[eye digress]

So if you were them, given they are odds-on to lose the final, you’d be going strong in that game, especially as it’s a dead rubber for Leipzig.

[ROBBO]

For some players its not attitude its exhaustion, SJM looked tired out against Burnley, for someone like Tyrone it's age, we do not have a great squad.

[Goldie.7]

I don’t care about this match, and I’ll be highly annoyed if major changes aren’t made. The priority should be the final.

Some of you guys think players are robots. We’re blowing out of our arses, which was clear as day against Burnley.

We’ve been stuck on 50–60 points since February 11th. Since then, we’ve taken 9 points from 30. The league is a bust!

[Smithy]

It would be the most Villa thing possible to keep us all on tenterhooks for the last two months with shocking league form, only to beat Liverpool convincingly and secure Champions League football just when it looks like we won't get another point all season.

I don't think it will happen, but it would be nice.  I imagine we'll get an undeserved point, which will take Brighton out of the equation, and then Bournemouth will lose to Man City (because if Man City don't win, the league will be Arsenal's), and we'll crawl across the Champions League line on the 19th, without kicking a ball.

[Monty]

I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.

[RamboandBruno]

Apart from Spurs, which was the strangest thing Ive ever seen, with a collective /shrig of the shoulders from largely our second string, I dont think there has been anything wrong with the teams attitude.
I think with our absolute full strength side and importantly this manager, we are a top 5 side that could be more (top 3). With injuries and the reliance on average players (Sancho, Bailey, Tammy so far) and players past their best (Mings, Barkley, Luiz), we are what we have seen lately, a side that is struggling to get over the line.
I thought Friday would end up being a bit pre season friendly, but now its important for both teams. Two games for the first choice team to lift themselves with Unais help and the Villa Park crowd on Friday of course.

[Deano's Mullet]

Liverpool will be poor but we will hand out more gifts. 1-3 defeat.

[brontebilly]

I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.

In the run up to the Wembley and Old Trafford no shows last season, our form was very good from memory. Granted it included wins v likes of Spurs and Fulham that didn't try a leg.... Can get by with adrenaline alone in the final, if we show up.

My main fear is the Lindelof in midfield tactic is something that can work the very odd time in specific circumstances, like v Forest we outnumbered them in midfield but not against a relegated Burnley team with very limited players. If that tactic isn't working Emery has little or no faith in Bogarde or Luiz. No faith in Bailey, Sancho, Tammy, Maatsen and the bench generally it increasingly looks like. Barkley and now Lindelof aside.

Back to...we have McGinn so anything is possible in the next week. If anyone needs a breather before Wednesday it's Rogers but he's probably first name on Emery's team sheet. Tielemans we can do without v Liverpool too but again very unlikely. Cash looked to be running on fumes v Burnley but Bogarde would be roasted there.

Liverpool X1 - Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Lindelof, Luiz, McGinn, Buendia, Barkley, Watkins.

No pace in that team whatsoever. I fear we are going to see one of Bailey or Sancho starting.

[ChicagoLion]

I think it would help to give Rogers a rest.

[Goldenballs]

Can't see anything but a limp defeat.

[PaulWinch again]

There’s 3 games left, it’s too late to rest Rogers. We need him Friday and Wednesday, and if we do our job in both those games then he can miss the last game.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.

It begs the question how have Notts Forest who have played the same number of games as us, have a smaller squad, tonnes of injuries, managed to turn up and save their season? Meanwhile, Unai has been managing the minutes and we look shagged..

[Dave]

I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.

It begs the question how have Notts Forest who have played the same number of games as us, have a smaller squad, tonnes of injuries, managed to turn up and save their season? Meanwhile, Unai has been managing the minutes and we look shagged..

Do they have a smaller squad? My impression was that they spent hundreds of millions of pounds building a massive, bloated squad.

[aj2k77]

Not interested in this one. Unai will prioritise the finally and rightly so. A trophy is a must now. There is 1 more hurdle to overcome and it's not Liverpool.

[Smithy]

I worry we'll go strong (as we have to), get shagged out in an exhausting defeat, go to the final and lose in a puffy and underwhelming 0-1. I have an inner terror of this.

It begs the question how have Notts Forest who have played the same number of games as us, have a smaller squad, tonnes of injuries, managed to turn up and save their season? Meanwhile, Unai has been managing the minutes and we look shagged..

I dunno, I'm not sure I'd say that Forest (currently 16th and knocked out of Europe by us) have "saved their season", while the club sat in 5th and with a European final next week HASN'T gone about this the right way?

We have looked VERY leggy, slow and almost lethargic at times. But honestly, I don't know if that's playing to instruction, or not.  Either way, with three matches to go, we can end the season with nothing, or with Champions League football and a trophy.  We're doing SOMETHING right.