Live Match Discussion: 2020/21

[Deutsch Wolf]

Think they just spotted a good deal and went for it (and had limited competition as not that many teams need a keeper). Arsenal were daft to go so definitively with Leno as #1, not least as he isn't very good.

They actually tried to hijack the Ramsdale deal before they signed Emi which would indicate that their talent spotting isn't actually that flash.

I don't see Villa as a particularly good team, they're picking up decent results but there's not much behind it.

 

[prawnking]

Think they just spotted a good deal and went for it (and had limited competition as not that many teams need a keeper). Arsenal were daft to go so definitively with Leno as #1, not least as he isn't very good.

They actually tried to hijack the Ramsdale deal before they signed Emi which would indicate that their talent spotting isn't actually that flash.

I don't see Villa as a particularly good team, they're picking up decent results but there's not much behind it.

A bit ungenerous, that....they're having a storming season.

5 points clear of us with a game in hand, just beat us, and 19 goals to the good on GD!

 

[Kenny]

Doesn't look like it, but they could easily have stuck with someone like Nyland or a Reina-style loan. The point was that they reacted well to adversity in terms of missing staff

A chance Heaton's injury was a lot worse than made out. All their back ups were shit so they had to sign one. As Deutsch says, they almost fucked that up. Arsenal played silly buggers over AMN, a player Arteta doesn't really want but thought "yeah, lets flog one of the best players from the summer and stick with the half dodgy Leno"

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

A bit ungenerous, that....they're having a storming season.

5 points clear of us with a game in hand, just beat us, and 19 goals to the goal on GD!

I've seen us be flying high (albeit in the Championship) when we've obviously been shit and it's never going to last. Think we went 3rd in December 2007 for instance under Mick but there was absolutely no structure to anything and we certainly weren't playing well. It was pretty clear that it was going to drop off sooner rather than later.

Villa aren't a shit team, they've improved a lot in a shortish space of time but nor are they anything to particularly admire at this stage. They've had a fair amount of luck for quite a while now.

I mean they beat us but you could scarcely say they deserved to, an inch or two to the right and we probably win 1-0 with Fabio "not up to the Premier League" Silva the derby day hero. That isn't the only game where they've grubbed a win, not by any stretch.

They don't play particularly good football, they don't have a prolific forward, they don't restrict chances, they don't have especially fine footballers all over the park, they'll regress to the mean at some point.

 

[prawnking]

A chance Heaton's injury was a lot worse than made out. All their back ups were shit so they had to sign one. As Deutsch says, they almost fucked that up.

Almost's don't count for much in football though...they almost went down last season, we almost got into the EL, we almost ended the game with them this month honours even but didn't...

If you guys can't find the words to credit a rival team for doing well that's fine personally I think Smith has got them playing well and made some acute acquisitions

 

[prawnking]

I've seen us be flying high (albeit in the Championship) when we've obviously been shit and it's never going to last. Think we went 3rd in December 2007 for instance under Mick but there was absolutely no structure to anything and we certainly weren't playing well. It was pretty clear that it was going to drop off sooner rather than later.

Villa aren't a shit team, they've improved a lot in a shortish space of time but nor are they anything to particularly admire at this stage. They've had a fair amount of luck for quite a while now.

I mean they beat us but you could scarcely say they deserved to, an inch or two to the right and we probably win 1-0 with Fabio "not up to the Premier League" Silva the derby day hero. That isn't the only game where they've grubbed a win, not by any stretch.

They don't play particularly good football, they don't have a prolific forward, they don't restrict chances, they don't have especially fine footballers all over the park, they'll regress to the mean at some point.

I dunno...purist superiority is all very well but scoring bagfuls of goals and being outsiders for a CL spot is pretty cool too, I imagine Villa fans are enjoying it!

 

[Kenny]

Almost's don't count for much in football though...they almost went down last season, we almost got into the EL, we almost ended the game with them this month honours even but didn't...

If you guys can't find the words to credit a rival team for doing well that's fine personally I think Smith has got them playing well and made some acute acquisitions

I am actually giving them credit though. My opening comment was a huge thumbs up on the who I feel was their key signing of the Summer

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Well, they've got Chelsea, United, Spurs and Everton as their next four. Plus Liverpool in the cup. If they get a decent haul there then maybe we can talk about them as proper contenders.

Should beat Chelsea, after all we did and apparently we are shit

 

[SSB]

No different to the Neto “penalty”
Inconsistency.

 

[YoungWolf]

Think they just spotted a good deal and went for it (and had limited competition as not that many teams need a keeper). Arsenal were daft to go so definitively with Leno as #1, not least as he isn't very good.

They actually tried to hijack the Ramsdale deal before they signed Emi which would indicate that their talent spotting isn't actually that flash.

I don't see Villa as a particularly good team, they're picking up decent results but there's not much behind it.

Agree with this, especially the last bit. We were comfortably better than them when we played them and we haven't been brilliant this season at all.

Improved A LOT defensively though, even before Martinez and Cash joined. Turned themselves into a half decent mid table team which before lockdown they certainl y were not

 

[prawnking]

Well, they've got Chelsea, United, Spurs and Everton as their next four. Plus Liverpool in the cup. If they get a decent haul there then maybe we can talk about them as proper contenders.

Should beat Chelsea, after all we did and apparently we are shit

I'm not making any predictions about any future games of theirs, just commenting on the season so far.

They made some good signings, they're having a great season, they're scoring loads of goals. Pretty self-evident to me.

We can contort ourselves into thinking it'll all fall apart for them (mainly so it reflects well on how our own club is doing?), doesn't make it so.

To the contrary, it's actually quite possible they'll build on it further between this season and next, like they did between last season and this.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think they'll end up being comfortably mid-table, never in danger of going down this year, not in serious contention for Europe, same as us. I doubt they'll win any of those games and then suddenly in a month no-one is saying how well they're doing.

Which means surely that one can't be great and the other be shit, which if you read a lot of what our fans think...

 

[prawnking]

I think they'll end up being comfortably mid-table, never in danger of going down this year, not in serious contention for Europe, same as us. I doubt they'll win any of those games and then suddenly in a month no-one is saying how well they're doing.

Which means surely that one can't be great and the other be shit, which if you read a lot of what our fans think...

I wouldn't hazard a guess at where anyone would end up outside of the bottom two or three this season! But I know what you mean.

I agree it's a more complex situation, but I can totally understand a lot of our fans looking at Villa scoring like a top 4 team and getting some eye-catching results, comparing it to our transitional inconsistency and lack of goalscoring threat and being a little jealous.

Not always easy seeing the bigger picture and promise of tomorrow, mainly because for most clubs it never comes

 

[The Bear]

They don't even deserve to be in this league at all after that Sheff Utd game. Lucky, lucky cunts.

 

[Derby Wolf]

I'm not making any predictions about any future games of theirs, just commenting on the season so far.

They made some good signings, they're having a great season, they're scoring loads of goals. Pretty self-evident to me.

We can contort ourselves into thinking it'll all fall apart for them (mainly so it reflects well on how our own club is doing?), doesn't make it so.

To the contrary, it's actually quite possible they'll build on it further between this season and next, like they did between last season and this.

One thing to say for Smith is hes very streaky he'll do very well for a period of games and then look completely bereft when they hit the buffers for whatever reason.

Last season they won 3 and drew 2 out of their first 9 which is a decent start by any promoted club, but then lost 7 of their next 9. They got it back and won 3 from 6 before losing 8 of the next 10. Even in the Championship he had a run of 6 draws in 10 followed by ten successive wins.

Its not to detract from their start but it won't be surprising to me at all if they plateau at some point.

 

[Templeton Peck]

Villa second based on expected points. We're 4th bottom.

EPL xG Table and Scorers for the 2024/2025 season | Understat.com

xG table of EPL standings and top scorers for the 2024/2025 season, also tables from past seasons and other European football leagues.

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[Derby Wolf]

Everton ahead at Sheffield United.

 

[YoungWolf]

Villa second based on expected points. We're 4th bottom.

EPL xG Table and Scorers for the 2024/2025 season | Understat.com

xG table of EPL standings and top scorers for the 2024/2025 season, also tables from past seasons and other European football leagues.

understat.com

I didn't know they were quite so high like that - impressive!

Sheffield United are not the worst team I have seen at this level but they are going to lose so many games by narrow margins because they just don't create anything at all really. And individually their players will make mistakes at the back eventually. 2 points from 15 games is incredible.

 

[Tony Towner]

I didn't know they were quite so high like that - impressive!

Sheffield United are not the worst team I have seen at this level but they are going to lose so many games by narrow margins because they just don't create anything at all really. And individually their players will make mistakes at the back eventually. 2 points from 15 games is incredible.

They are a strange side, they aren't that bad when you watch them. In game Norwich were way worse last year, but despite not having the the biggest budget over 2 seasons have spent North of £50m on strikers who don't score goals

 

[YoungWolf]

Yup. Feel a little sorry for Brewster, good goalscorer, being played very differently to how he needs to. Not a great move for him really. Will score plenty in the Championship next season though