On current form I would tend to agree with you. The deck is now stacked very much in Villa's favour - but stranger things have happened...
We played better than I have seen us for a while and kept the ball well, sometimes going direct and sometimes being patient. Our finishing has let us down, we don't have a Lambert or Connolly that you know will bury it but I don't think Southampton were bad.
I think this would be a good time to get Gaston on. But he's not even on the bench. Perhaps move Tadic central and get Long onto a wing. Perhaps it's even time to play 4-4-2. Long and Pelle up top. Tadic left and Mane right. A similar style to how we played it in the Championship with the wide players pushed quite high. I don't know what the best formula is tbh. We aren't getting the rub of the green at all at the moment..
Whilst I don';t condone booing etc this is all down to the club. They have built up expectations with their very ambitious and optimistic statements about what we are, what we want to do and where we want to be. They haven't been saying we would like or hope to be X. They have stated that we will be. There will be a lot of people (myself included) that bought into that optimism but it is starting to diminish for many. It hasn't helped that we have overachieved for a few years because it has meant (or seemed to) that the management of the club believe that we can do it.
If we equalise in the first 15 mins we have a chance of winning, RK needs to show some leadership and get them playing as we know they can.
Villa are going to just sit back, pack their box and hope to soak up the pressure. Let's hope we can break through.
I'd make a couple of subs now. Bring off any two random players and replace them with two who have actually participated in shooting practice in training.
Fonte was covering Lescott. Pelle was guarding some other dude. Fonte got screened off the ball, by Pelle/other guy. It would have been tough for Pelle and Fonte to switch men really fast, which is what needed to happen. Someone really just should have cut off that ball so it didn't roll right in front of the goal mouth. Lescott should not have been so all alone, but it was a combination of poor reaction and a delivery that was maybe so bad no one expected it.
Clasie for Wanyama wouldn't be a bad idea. Wanyama's our best DM, but not sure if we really want him on the park when trailing against a team like Villa at St Mary's.
Pellè watched the ball float right past him making no attempt to clear it. That's what I meant. If you let the ball get to the far post at that height it's no surprise if you concede a goal.
Borussia M.Gladbach are beating Bayern Munich 3-0. Thought I'd mention it incase it cheers someone up.
Yeah, I don't disagree. I think the way that play broke down, Pelle would have been late and the shot would have gotten off, so it might have scored anyway. But he could have been there to at least apply some pressure. As it was, he didn't react at all and Lescott had yards of space.
