Re: Villa v Leicester 13th September 2015 : match thread

[Mr_Spadge]

I'm thinking Veretout gets a start here, and being dropped for a match or two should give him a bit of a wake up call...

DK, I agree with your frustrations, but I also think it's exciting with the competition for places right now - I LOVE that Scott Sinclair (5 goals in 2 games) is suddenly a shoe-in to start, while Gabby is getting benched.  Not because I particularly like Sinclair, but because we are unpredictable.  

I don't think anyone (even the players / managers) know who is the best team is, and that means a lot.  

Our midfield and forwards:

Sanchez - coming good
Westwood - good and steady
Gana - looks inspired
Traore - looks inspired
Grealish - world class
Sinclair - can't stop scoring
Gil - bags of promise and tricks
Gestede - needs consistancy
Ayew - still waiting, but too soon to write off
Kozak - Fighting for a chance
Gardner - one for the future
Even Llori - "I see him playing holding midfield as well." Says Mr Sherwood

12 players I'm happy to see on the pitch, with 7 spots up for grabs...

I don't know the best team.  Remember when we had players on the pitch "by default" because they were the best team...  I absolutely LOVE Sherwood for getting rid of that - we should never play someone "By Default".  (eg N'Zogbia...)  I'm not sure we'll have a concrete conclusion on even a fixed 11 by December.

Whatever happens, I reckon we'll give Leicester a bloody nose, with more than a few goals. 

UTV

[VillaBill]

Tough fixture, we do need something from it though 1-1!

[avfc85]

I think what Sherwood has said about Llori is a tad naive, I have brought him here to buy, well I'm not being funny but that means nothing the potential of Liverpool doing better than us is great so even if we have the clause to buy Llori can just turn around and say thanks but no thanks and return to Liverpool.

[bazzah]

Guzan
Illori Richards Lescott Amavi
Westwood Veretout
Adama Grealish
Sinclair
Gestede

[mefromhere]

I think what Sherwood has said about Llori is a tad naive, I have brought him here to buy, well I'm not being funny but that means nothing the potential of Liverpool doing better than us is great so even if we have the clause to buy Llori can just turn around and say thanks but no thanks and return to Liverpool.

Or the guy will compare Rodgers (sends him out on loan and not interested) to Sherwood (wants him now and the future as a key player and believes in him) and decide the only place he wants to be is at the Villa

[Trotters]

I think what Sherwood has said about Llori is a tad naive, I have brought him here to buy, well I'm not being funny but that means nothing the potential of Liverpool doing better than us is great so even if we have the clause to buy Llori can just turn around and say thanks but no thanks and return to Liverpool.

Or the guy will compare Rodgers (sends him out on loan and not interested) to Sherwood (wants him now and the future as a key player and believes in him) and decide the only place he wants to be is at the Villa

Exactly! This is something that is nearly always overlooked. If YOU have a boss that pushed you out the door vs another that made you feel wanted and part of a team, would you be keen to go back? I doubt it.

But then, managers change quickly enough.

[Guest]

He will go to the team that blows enough smoke up his arse and gives him the largest paycheck. That won't be us. We've just accepted being a farm team to Liverpool with this signing.

[big ming]

                     Guzan
Illori    Richards   Lescott  Amavi
         Westwood  Veretout
Adama                           Grealish
                         Sinclair
                    Gestede

Would not be surprised to see Illori at right back this weekend. Spy says he was playing there in training match at BH, Also,Hutton and Bacuna both crap recently!

[Guest]

Alright line-up that, though I would personally keep Clark over Lescott.

When it comes to the tactics bazzah put up, surely Gestede would be swapped with Sinclair. This is just nitpicking or whatever you say.

I'd rather play 433:

Guzan
Llori, Richards, Clark, Amavi
Veretout, Westwood, Sanchez
Gil, Gestede, Grealish

Let Ayew and Traore come off the bench

[mefromhere]

I think Ayew has been handicapped so far in his villa career by having to play with Agbonlahor. That just simply isn't fair on anybody. Having said that, Sinclair would be my striker on Sunday with Grealish, Gil and Adama behind. That's a fearsome four.

[Mr_Spadge]

I think Sinclair's bought himself a fairly long run in the team with 2.5 goals per game...

Agree on Gabby, and on giving Ayew another chance. (He had a beaut of a goal for Ghana in the internationals).

I'm not totally convinced we can have 4 players as lightweight as Gil, Grealish Adama and Sinclair leading the line, though (even though I think they're a terrifying talent) - I think we need the likes of Gestede or Kozak in there just for some mass.

I think Veretout, Westwood and Sanchez together can boss the midfield though, with Veretout pushing forward...

I'd love to see Llori start, but I think I believe Sherwood about his fitness, so it to be expect Hutton or Bacuna.

It's all a question of team cohesion, rather than talent though. We have bags of potential, just need to find the way to play together and bring it out...

(Side note, we've scored more PL goals than Liverpool, Benteke on the pitch for all 4 games. People were asking where the goals would come from in this side, but I see goals across the pitch right now...)

[VillaBill]

On a slightly different Villa v Leicester connection, a game at VP against Leicester was the worst football violence I witnessed "back in the day" , I ran that fast Usain Bolt wouldn't of caught me, I miss the football of the eighties but not all the dog droppoings that came along with it!

[Cha Ching]

                     Guzan
Illori    Richards   Lescott  Amavi
         Westwood  Veretout
Adama                           Grealish
                         Sinclair
                    Gestede

For this game I'd put Ayew instead of Gestede. Huth would love an arm wrestle against the big man but Ayew might give him more trouble.

[Villa Ranger]

We are one of the Giants of the English game and even in the Premier League era, we have had 9 Top-Six finishes in 23 seasons, which as I keep saying, is more than Spurs.

I cannot believe I have to read the likes of Leicester fans (!?) saying that we're 'relegation fodder' and they expect nothing more than 3 points ahead of a tough game against Stoke!?

I sometimes think I've entered some sort of alternate reality where my team are concerned.

When are we going to Resume Normal Service, where 9 times out of 10, we comfortably swat the likes of Leicester (and Stoke) aside, with either a Professional Performance or a Right Royal Arse-Reaming (depending on what mood we're in   )?

I refuse to be despondent yet though. I remind myself that last year we sat 2nd(?) in the table with 10 points from 12, having beaten Liverpool at Anfield, and I was gazing at the Beardy-Weirdy Twins in the dugout with a respect I never thought possible. We all know how that ended.

I hope this is the weekend when the Lion stops 'meowing' and begins to ROAR AGAIN!!

RAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Sorry, but there's no 'Lion' Emoticon?

Schoolboy Error if you ask me...

[avfcjay]

I can see us getting the win here, Leicester's bubble will burst sooner rather than later and I can see our run of bad luck coming to an end. I really hope so anyway.



This is what I'd expect us to see on Sunday a permutation of these players. Like Spadge said, Illori's fitness would be an issue right now. I'd love Gueye in for Veretout but can't see him being fit in time.

I'm hoping Traore will be fit to be used as an impact sub if needed later on.

[Trotters]

Beardy weirdy twins.

For the lion to roar again we need to be consistently top 6 for half a dozen seasons on order to be able to attract top players without them constantly fucking off. We've been comatose for so long that even if we finished 6th this season there'd still be plenty of doubters next season...and that's be fair enough.

And fuck Leicester and their horse-cum-guzzling, two-headed, thick-as-pig-shit fans.

[Synopsis]

Got to admit I am not feeling confident about this. It pains me to say this but what I have seen so far of Leicester this season they are playing very well as a unit and have bucket loads of pace and have been looking great on the counter and with all our new faces I expect us to still be understandably some what disjointed.

[Trotters]

Jay, that line-up looks fairly solid defensively but doesn't have a lot of creativity in it to cause Leicester problems.

If Sherwood is going for a draw, then he'll get it with that side. A win? Hmmmmm.....

[avfcjay]

Thing is though who do we have that's 100% fit to cause problems? I do agree it is a bit more defensive but if Sherwood maybe gives Veretout the freedom to get forward, Jack can drop to the left with Veretout moving into the middle.

Ayew? I'd give him a chance but not sure he'd be effective in this game. If Traore and Gil were fit I'd start them but going from reports they aren't. But, this is Sherwood and no doubt we will see Grealish, Traore, Gil up behind Sinclair with Sanchez & Veretout/Westy behind which would be ideal but I just can't see it. Though I'd like to be proved wrong! :)

[Trotters]

Ah yes...I'd not taken injuries into consideration. My bad.

The good news is that, no matter what, we'll still be above Chelsea.

[Cha Ching]

Ah yes...I'd not taken injuries into consideration. My bad.

The good news is that, no matter what, we'll still be above Chelsea.

Careful there Totters...

A bad defeat would put us below them.

[KMitch]

Gabby starting...  Ugh...  Completely underwhelming, even though Gil and Grealish are also in the starting lineup.

[avfc85]

Gabby starting...  Ugh...  Completely underwhelming, even though Gil and Grealish are also in the starting lineup.

We look to have great creativity in the team but the problem is who is going to finish apart from Sinclair lol.

[VillaBill]

Gabby must look like Cristiano Messi in training because I cant remember the last decent thing he has done on match day ?

[Guest]

I've probably said this before, but how smalltime and embarrassing is that clappy clap crap they are using.

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