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

Bounty Hunter

There are going to be a lot of goal opportunities for both sides in this game it seems

listermint

We are being ripped apart.. saved for spurs being rubbish in finishing.

sc86

How is it still level

listermint

Only a matter of time

listermint

Well !..

Bounty Hunter

Was worried when they started Lo Celso, they were going to go for it. We have been on the back foot so far and tbh they deserve to be ahead.

That said they can be got at

edit: hahahahahah 1-1

don't deserve it but wahoooo

please don't be offside

artanevilla

Offside.

CucaFace

What a stupid decision to bring Carlos into the CB position and move Konsa to RB.

It has totally unsettled the whole defense.

Panrich

Get Cash off ASAP. He's a certainty to get a second yellow.

sc86

Get cash off asap

circadian

Spurs and Liverpool, two teams I can't stand watching Villa play.

listermint

Back at it

LeBash

We don't deserve to be level. Hopefully Emery makes some changes and we come out better second half.

artanevilla

What a ball from Luiz.

We look ropey but so do Spurs.

circadian

Torres has one of the worst aerial records yet he smashes a cracking header there.

Bounty Hunter

In general Spurs are just playing with more energy. In particular, closing down and pressurizing our players but also in starting their own moves. 

How little we have heard from the likes of Diaby shows how this game has gone. Spurs deserve to be ahead...but they aren't!

 It may be a slight worry that Kamara, McGinn and Cash (who the fans are all over) are all on yellows going into the 2nd half but it is also worth noting that Spurs might tire as the game proceeds especially With all the time added on we have these days so maybe the likes of Bailey from the Bench could take advantage of their high line in the 2nd half. 

Spurs really are beatable though. For instance, Watkins was offside but it was only inches from Villa going in 2-1 ahead despite how this game has done so far.

circadian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121420649#Comment_121420649

Yeah both teams are inviting each other on. Gotta admire Postecoglou though, he hasn't shyed away from injury and it's tough to play against any team that comes at you like Spurs do. I'd like to think Villa should be able to take advantage of it though.

Bounty Hunter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121420667#Comment_121420667

Spurs have been on top and Villa have still put the ball in their net twice. One var gave us one var didn't (both were right) but it shows that Spurs will give up chance and Villa are more than capable of taking advantage of them.

CucaFace

Poxed to be level at HT

The decsion to move Cash to midfield has been disaterous from the off and now he can't reverse it really as Cash has be taken off (instead of hooking Carlos and moving Cash to his natural position RB) at HT as he a guaranteed red card waiting.

Konsa is easily our best CB and we are all over the place back there with him lost at RB.

The decline of Diaby as the season has gone on is beginning to become worrying as now i would prefer to see Bailey come on for him, which is something i thought i would never say.

CSF

Villa awful there, but have to hope that with the fortune to be level at the break, that Villa having subs to bring on while Spurs don’t really, may have an impact on the 2nd half, especially with Spurs having some players there who aren’t used to doing 90 minute games.

OneColdHand

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121420679#Comment_121420679

Agreed, the Cash booking is a huge issue. He's walking a fine line - could have had a second booking already. Ideally we would take off Carlos, and bring on someone like Bailey (and move Cash back). but we can't do that, as you say. Unai will have to get his thinking cap - something needs to change.

CSF

Cash isn’t very good if he can’t be combative and tackling anyway

Bounty Hunter

Tielemans and Bailey on

Cash and Diaby (maybe)off

positive and proactive from Emery

Bounty Hunter

Game could be set up for impact sub Bailey. Spurs don't exactly sit back

listermint

Yeehaaaaaw

Bounty Hunter

Lovely goal, looked easy, 2-1 Watkins.

Maybe not deserved but take your chance and you win your games. Spurs going to go mad attacking now keep it tight and hope to exploit the gaps

circadian

Love to see changes at half time, can't remember the last time we had a manager that was proactive like that.

Bounty Hunter

Great saves from Martinez.

Villa much more on top recently but anything could still happen in this game

artanevilla

Watkins is the perfect example of a good but not elite striker. He just gets it wrong that little bit more than the top strikers.

artanevilla

Son was born offside.

Bounty Hunter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121420882#Comment_121420882

A hatrick of offside goals today. But VAR was right on them all

listermint

Boom boom, take that.

Bounty Hunter

A massive 3 points.

You could say undeserved but tbh I don't think Spurs deserved to win that game and Villa took advantage.

In the top 4 now, joint on points with Liverpool. Which means all the more in a season when 5th could equal CL football.

The hard work is still to come though (obviously), which becomes evident when you look at our fixtures. The next 2 weeks each have 2 games, the second of those weeks is Man City (Thursday) and Arsenal (Sunday) in the league.

Emery making those changes at half time was huge!

artanevilla

I don't think it's a robbery, Spurs didn't take their chances and Villa did. Villa weren't awful and neither were Spurs.

It's one of those where you could argue a home win, a draw and an away win would all have been a fair result.

CucaFace

Great win in the end.

Lucky, but who cares now.

LeBash

Only 2 points off top.

circadian

I feel that City will end our home streak but at the same time, they don't look as invincible as last year.

remoteboy

In Dreamland. Regardless of their injury situation an away win at Spurs is a great result. We’ve been poor on the road this season, hopefully that result will give us a bit more confidence away from home.

Our offside game is a thing of beauty. It doesn’t just prevent goals, it actively frustrates the opposition and knocks them off their game.

Been supporting Villa since the late 1970s and thought our glory days were long gone. This current team are great to watch.

CSF

I don’t think it was lucky. Spurs had an advantage until a the chaos stopped and a football game broke out. If VAR era officiating didn’t mean they play on until an attack stops, we’d have been talking about way less Spurs attacks. Villa had the higher xG even.

CSF

Full rotation Thursday please. Bournemouth away Sunday, followed by City at home midweek and Arsenal away Saturday.

We’re basically through already, and sure, I would like to win the group, but it’s not as if 2nd team can’t win that or get a draw that takes it to final set of games.

artanevilla

It's November, Villa are two points off the top. Are we title contenders at this point?

LeBash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121427762#Comment_121427762

Start the whole Bench from Spurs game (assuming Moreno and Ramsey are fit enough for 60 mins).

Digne, Watkins and McGinn must all need a rest at this stage.

OneColdHand

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121429604#Comment_121429604

Kamara can start. He's suspended for the Bournemouth game, so can have a rest then.

OneColdHand

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121429254#Comment_121429254

We are definitely contenders as long as we are in this position. Emery won't admit it (publicly) and neither will the players. And the mainstream media are only talking about us in relation to being contenders for that last CL spot. But if it was United, Newcastle or Chelsea in our position, everyone would be saying they are right in contention for the title.

Needless to say I don't actually believe we will win. But it's certainly a lot of fun seeing how long we can stay in the mix!

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121429604#Comment_121429604

Martinez, Moreno, Lenglet, Carlos, Cash, Kamara, Dendoncker, Tielemans, Zaniolo, Bailey, Duran or something like that. No real tactical analysis put into that selection so obviously Emery will still want to put out a team set out to exploit their weaknesses.

pavb2

My understanding is that the group winners go straight into the round of 16 whereas runners up face a playoff so we do need to win if nothing else to avoid an additional game(s)

The group winners advance directly to the round of 16 with the group runners-up progressing to the knockout round play-offs, where they will face eight teams transferring from the Europa League having finished third in their groups

circadian

Yep, would prefer to win the group to avoid the extra fixture to get to the last 16.

CSF

So would I, but with 3 games from Sunday to Saturday (and 2 of those against City and Arsenal), then I think objectives have to be prioritised. It’s not as if the team I’d mentioned above can’t get a positive result at home to Legia anyway.

Bounty Hunter

I would not be surprised if Emery goes slightly stronger than that but hopefully the fact that Kamara cannot play on the weekend does make him rest someone else like McGinn who very rarely does not start. I'd agree that proposed lineup should be strong enough to still get the desired result at home though plus the likes of Zaniolo should be trying to make a point with whatever game time he gets. Definitely would like to see Moreno get an hour under his belt too and maybe Ramsey could get another 30m.

The lads will think they can get something from any game but you would think they will be targeting the Bournemouth game for a win considering it is followed by the top two back to back in the same week and considering they (Bournemouth) obviously don't have mid-week football, at least keeping some of our starters fresh for that game could be important.

artanevilla

Strong enough team, Olsen, Lenglet and Duran start.