Aston Villa v Liverpool Pre-Match Thread

[andyh]

I don’t get the tired argument for many of our players.
The only genuine tired players for me would be Cash & Rogers, the latter falling into the knackered bracket, and Konsa at a push.
Watkins should be tired but the man is a machine and keeps going.

Every one else has been rested regularly or only played partial games, with Ginny and Tielemans still trying to get to peak fitness.

Maybe there is some mental fatigue, but that should be the managers job to sort.

[paul_e]

I don’t get the tired argument for many of our players.
The only genuine tired players for me would be Cash & Rogers, the latter falling into the knackered bracket, and Konsa at a push.
Watkins should be tired but the man is a machine and keeps going.

Every one else has been rested regularly or only played partial games, with Ginny and Tielemans still trying to get to peak fitness.

Maybe there is some mental fatigue, but that should be the managers job to sort.

You're right but if Cash, Konsa and Rogers are all struggling from having played too many minutes and McGinn and Tielemans aren't fully fit after injury that's half the team, add in Torres clearly having his minutes managed and Emi carrying something that has caused him to miss a few at short notice and that's 7 of our best 11 not at theit prime, which makes it tough to see consistently good performances. Add Onana being in and out, Kamara missing and whatever problem Watkins has bene carrying and I think it's fair to say that injuries and fitness problems have smashed the fuck out of our season.

[andyh]

I completely agree.
But the awful performances against Fulham, Spurs and Burnley cannot be attributed to the whole starting 11 in each of those games being tired.

[paul_e]

I completely agree.
But the awful performances against Fulham, Spurs and Burnley cannot be attributed to the whole starting 11 in each of those games being tired.

No, but they can be attributed to weakening the team to allow some players to be rested and to a general acceptance of us playing at a pretty low tempo in the all of them, both to conserve energy and also, more importantly, to try to avoid injuries.

[LostInMunich]

If we beat Freiburg, then we achieve - in one game - both of our most important objectives for the season. It's a single game. Win it, and we're done - we have a European trophy and a CL spot.

If we put out a strong side against Liverpool, then we might get closer to locking in a CL place for next season, but it might also get harder to win the cup.

No idea what Emery will do, but I wouldn't blame him at all if he decided to put out a second string line-up for the Liverpool game.

[Drummond]

Anything could happen. But the main focus needs to be on next Wednesday.

Whatever, this group of players and the management team deserve a huge send off on Friday night.

[Toronto Villa]

Chris Kavanagh will be ref. I’d like to change my prediction to a defeat.

*rolls eyes*

[ChicagoLion]

Chris Kavanagh will be ref. I’d like to change my prediction to a defeat.

*rolls eyes*

Every single one of them gives me cause for concern.
I think they are all corrupt , not meaning they are  benefiting financially directly, but the whole PGMOL set up stinks.

[PaulWinch again]

They’re not corrupt, more likely there’s a competence issue.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I completely agree.
But the awful performances against Fulham, Spurs and Burnley cannot be attributed to the whole starting 11 in each of those games being tired.

No, but they can be attributed to weakening the team to allow some players to be rested and to a general acceptance of us playing at a pretty low tempo in the all of them, both to conserve energy and also, more importantly, to try to avoid injuries.

Very true, especially in our case where league success this season has been built on fine lines. What is it, two teams all season we've beaten by more than one goal? I'd just like us to finish as high as we can and above Liverpool with that twat Arsey Slob, before we head off to Istambul. That's what big teams do. I'll trust in Unai whatever he decides to do (providing we win next Wednesday, obviously).

[eye digress]

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.

Alternatively, Bournemouth beat City and the title is Arsenal's by the time we pitch up at the Etihad, with Citeh having achieved a Cup double and on the beach...

[SamTheMouse]

They’re not corrupt, more likely there’s a competence issue.

I think their job has become insanely hard and they get the kind of scrutiny that would reduce most people to gibbering wrecks.

Which is not to say they don't make some frankly bizarre decisions, but let's be honest, we fans are incredibly harsh on them. It's part of the fun.

[aj2k77]

VAR provides a second layer of unconscious bias than the previous one with just a ref.

[paul_e]

They’re not corrupt, more likely there’s a competence issue.

I think their job has become insanely hard and they get the kind of scrutiny that would reduce most people to gibbering wrecks.

Which is not to say they don't make some frankly bizarre decisions, but let's be honest, we fans are incredibly harsh on them. It's part of the fun.

Maybe but, if it's so difficult, use the resources you have better.

Don't use VAR to cover up errors by the on-filed official to only have to backtrack and issue an apology the next day. Or don't spend a season arguing that you're letting more go for corners and then give a foul in favour of the team that's spent the entire season benefitting from it.

Most of the complaints about refs come down to "in this game the decision was x but in the previous match something very similar happened and it was y", that's in their control to be better with and if the pressure on the on-field ref is in any way the reason for it then the solution should be for VAR to take the emotion and pressure away.