Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours/Champions League Thread 2024/25

Esse85

Traore has been useless so far.

CucaFace

McGinn and Barkley as per usual recent are just useless

artanevilla

I think the reputation that Villa seem to have now of being a young exciting team great to watch has been untrue for about 2 or 3 months now.

Esse85

Barkley a passenger too.
Worst first half of the season.
Absolutely asleep.

rebelomar

It's a total mismatch in midfield.

Once again a team just floods the midfield and press is high and the same effect as the last few games.

Does Smith learn anything from these games?

artanevilla

We'd be in a relegation fight if not for Martinez.

Esse85

You could see Jack getting sent off here as a result of frustration, already on a yellow.

Patser

FFS Barkley, Watkins is on his own out there, but has dragged 2 defenders over and is crying out for you to make run into space..... don't just saunter up

Panrich

Barkley, McGinn and Luiz are all off the pace. Whether this is to do with Covid, I don't know but we're shocking in midfield.

JPA

Lucky to be 0-0.

Villa would benefit a lot if Nakamba came on here. But he won't.

CSF

Lads, we can stop this ‘should we pay 30 million for Barkley’ conversation now. I wouldn’t even want to take on his wages next season.

I enjoy watching us play much less when he is in the team.

CucaFace

rebelomar wrote: »

It's a total mismatch in midfield.

Once again a team just floods the midfield and press is high and the same effect as the last few games.

Does Smith learn anything from these games?

Couldnt agree more. This is what really frustrates me about this side. Smith can't see any issues and just plays the same way with the same player regardless of what is happening in front of his eyes.



This a huge limitation unfortunately as a manager which is sad as he has a lot of great ones also.

Esse85

rebelomar wrote: »

It's a total mismatch in midfield.

Once again a team just floods the midfield and press is high and the same effect as the last few games.

Does Smith learn anything from these games?

Bring on Nakamba, take off Barkley, start controlling the midfield and then the full backs can push on. They haven't had a chance to overlap at all in the first half.
We are very lucky to be be going in 0-0

Panrich

Panrich wrote: »

Barkley, McGinn and Luiz are all off the pace. Whether this is to do with Covid, I don't know but we're shocking in midfield.

In fact. I'll say that Barkley has been absolutely atrocious and the other two poor.

Patser

HT 0-0

Brighton seem to be another team with a good plan vs Villa.

No space and time in midfield, just being hunted down and swamped. Grealish being marked out of game, with orders not to tackle just shut off, so fewer frees. In the meantime Brighton swarming forward when chances on, and putting pressure on our defence as our midfield saunter back. In contrast when we do get forward quickly, still to much emphasis on stop, turn back, retain ball, and try unlock - with result of Brighton getting organised. Be much better if Traore was told, go wide, take on man quickly, run at them and use space.

Barkley is living on glories of Arsenal and Liverpool games at start of season, when him and Grealish were surprise package and playing FIFA style football together. Forgetting that now that we are favourites, teams give no space and he needs to work

Esse85

CSF wrote: »

Lads, we can stop this ‘should we pay 30 million for Barkley’ conversation now. I wouldn’t even want to take on his wages next season.

I enjoy watching us play much less when he is in the team.

Agreed.
He really is a square peg in a round hole.
Just doesn't fit in or gel with the team.
Just seems brain dead all the time.

CucaFace

Our CM has no shape whatsoever to get on the ball. Like the last 5 games now.

McGinn and Barkley are 2 of the most overrated players in the league.

Here we have one of the bests players in the world and we can't get on the ball to give it to him.

5 weeks ago i felt why would Grealish want to leave Villa anytime soon as we were playing so well and could get him the ball so much. I would say if you counted the amount of times he has got on the ball in the last 5 games combined, it would be less then the amount of times he was getting on the ball in every other game. Now i, thinking if this continues why would he want to stay to be in a side that has such poor ability to get on the ball.

The fact he is getting doubled up on is not the issue.

Its our missing CM that is glaring issue.

Get Barkely off immediately for Sansom.

Patser

I can see Dean's problem with McGinn - he's being played out of his natural position, asked to be far more defensive then he normally is as Smith tries to fit in Barkley. McGinn trives as the less defensive part of a 3 man midfield where his energy allows him to roam about, helping a bit defensively but also getting into box to score - look at his scoring record in Championship, even last year compared to this year.

Smith still wants to play him, as he still has the energy to cover yards and can help out a bit. Barkley has scored some key goals (Leicester?) so he still gets to start - but they are not natural fits together. If Barkley's form continues Sanson and Nakamba should start and set McGinn free

Patser

Great save Martinez - he really is a bargain

Esse85

How are we so bad after a weeks rest?

It's dreadful.

Make changes Dean, now.

Esse85

Cash is a massive loss, hope it's not his hamstring and nothing serious.

Patser

oooh Cash off, hopefully that's not for a while.

Is Guilbert gone on loan?

artanevilla

Patser wrote: »

oooh Cash off, hopefully that's not for a while.

Is Guilbert gone on loan?

Yes he's gone.

This is a brutal game.

Esse85

Patser wrote: »

oooh Cash off, hopefully that's not for a while.

Is Guilbert gone on loan?

Yes back to France.

rebelomar

Ah lads...what is Smith looking at here I ask ye?

This is atrocious stuff

Patser

Christ we'rebeing torn apart.

Get Traore off ASAP, he offered Cash little protection but Cash's spreed helped him out. Elmo without support is scary

Esse85

Brighton are like Barcelona here.

Grealish should stay on the right and turn their lanky left bag Dan Byrne inside out.

Patser

Well there's Trez in for Traore, so that's good.

Let's try another Sanson for Barkley!

artanevilla

Fúcking change it! 70 mins and still not in the game.

Esse85

Maupay is such a little rat.

circadian

Barkley looks absolutely knackered.

Patser

Sanson coming in for Barkley, finally get to see what the alternative is like

Esse85

About 15 minutes too late taking off Barkley.

artanevilla

Esse85 wrote: »

About 15 minutes too late taking off Barkley.

75 minutes too late.

Esse85

Sanson is really skinny.

It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the physicality of this league.

Panrich

Esse85 wrote: »

Sanson is really skinny.

It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the physicality of this league.

Looks like he has that bit of physicality.

Esse85

Positives: a point, clean sheet, GK and the defence.

Negatives: Smiths blindness to our central midfield problem. Cash injury. Attacking play.

How dumb of Trezeguet to give away that free kick.

rebelomar

We've been so bloody poor.

A lot of that is tactical and a lot is down to players being dire on the night.

Plenty of thought for the management and squad for the games ahead.

No way we will continue to get away with this level of performance.

That was horrible to watch. I appreciate the improvement defensively but teams have certainly figured us out now offensively.

Time to move Jack central again I think. Switch things up.

Barkley and a couple more too comfortable for my liking. You can't overlook consistently poor performances. The bad results will eventually follow.

Panrich

Another clean sheet.
Another point closer to 40 points.
Ahm....

Patser

It's a point, a very ugly and lucky point.

How can a team with Grealish, Traore, Targett and Cash create so little. We're used to occasionally being on the back foot but we've always created something. Tonight was the worst creatively I've seen this season

CSF

circadian wrote: »

Barkley looks absolutely knackered.

From what like? I’m genuinely furious that the lad was allowed perform like that and play for 76 mins.

CucaFace

How can we go from looking so assured on the ball away to Utd and City to this in the space of 5 weeks?

Im really getting sick of Smith's inability to see whats happening at the end of his nose during games. As this club moves forward as the owners have ambition, this is something that will cost him his job at some stage.

I would guess Grealish had maybe 8 touches of the ball tonight.

That was dire, as have been most the games recently.

OneColdHand

CSF wrote: »

From what like? I’m genuinely furious that the lad was allowed perform like that and play for 76 mins.

I'm wondering if he's one of the lads who got covid, and is suffering from fatigue due to it. Of course, if that's the case, why the hell is Smith playing him, is the obvious question.

CucaFace

Patser wrote: »

It's a point, a very ugly and lucky point.

How can a team with Grealish, Traore, Targett and Cash create so little. We're used to occasionally being on the back foot but we've always created something. Tonight was the worst creatively I've seen this season

Because the core of the side isn't there to link this all up.



Barkley to me plays like a link up striker (like a poor one), more then an attacking CM. This means that we then have McGinn playing in a 442 formation deeper. McGinn for me can only play in the advanced role or thats it. He hasn't the positional sense to play there alone.



We were actually much better with (i cant believe im saying this) El Gazi on the left and Grealish in the central role.



Barkely is the major root of the problems. The fact this has all happened since he returned to the side just shows this.

JPA

We went into the game with the wrong setup and it was hard to change it from there.

Smith makes no concession for the opposition, it's a pro and a con in his management.

Barkley is doing absolutely nothing for us, if he had 2 players behind him absolutely dominating then he would be useful but without supply he's a passenger. He's like a lone striker who just lives for chances, you'd never notice him in the opposition half.

Smith needs to start Sanson or Nakamba with Luiz, please fix the midfield!

LeBash

Solid in at the back, only gave the 2 half decent chances, you'd expect every PL keeper to save the rest.

Poor going forward, nobody seemed turned on tonight but Brighton just got it right on the night. They are pretty toothless up front.

Hope Barkley doesn't start the next game. Someone said it looks like it's to keep Jack happy and I think they could be right. McGinn hasn't had a good game with Barkley on the pitch, he was OK tonight, 5-7 interceptions, 3 missed passes and a lot went through him.

Esse85

There's no way Smith is playing Barkley just to keep Jack happy.
Best way to keep Jack happy is winning games, not playing one of his mates.

CucaFace

Esse85 wrote: »

There's no way Smith is playing Barkley just to keep Jack happy.
Best way to keep Jack happy is winning games, not playing one of his mates.

I doubt very much Jack wants Barkley to play every week.



Im sure he would be happy to see him dropped.



Jacks number of touches per game have probably dropped 500% per game since Barkely came back, why would he be happy about that?

Bounty Hunter

Iirc before this game Brighton were unbeaten in their last 5 league games including beating Liverpool and Spurs while villa kept following up wins with losses. Given this time we didn’t lose and kept a clean sheet again there are definite positives that can be taken from this even if they didn’t play well, hell some would argue playing poorly but coming away with a point is a positive in itself that wouldn’t have happened last year.

CSF

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

Iirc before this game Brighton were unbeaten in their last 5 league games including beating Liverpool and Spurs while villa kept following up wins with losses. Given this time we didn’t lose and kept a clean sheet again there are definite positives that can be taken from this even if they didn’t play well, hell some would argue playing poorly but coming away with a point is a positive in itself that wouldn’t have happened last year.

Ah we were awful man and our performance levels are on a clear downward curve.

I mean, from one way of looking at it, we are way ahead of reasonable expectations for this year, and will unquestionably finish ahead of anyone’s expectations.

Nobody here is going to be legitimately downbeat about how it is going so far, overall we’re all content. But I sure hope the players and staff aren’t feeling content also. Smith needs to be looking at why we’ve performed so poorly of late (even in games like Southampton and Arsenal where we managed to nick a goal and keep the clean sheet). We were blessed with refereeing decisions against Southampton and today Martinez has proper bailed his teammates out. Their xG was huge today so it certainly wasn’t down to a stout defensive display.

For me, we regressed hugely when we pushed Grealish out to the left to accommodate Barkley. And it is fair to say Barkley has not justified changing an effective team. He is right up there with my least favourite Villa players.