Aston Villa are yet to win a game in 3 games, I’m not too worried about the defeats to Tottenham and Everton (despite us being at home). But what I am particularly worried about is our recent goal draught. We haven’t scored a single goal in three games and this really worries me. Earlier on in the season, many fans and pundits praised Villa’s front three of Weimann, Agbonlahor and Benteke. These three players were very dangerous, fast and were meant to cause teams lot’s of problems. This certainly was the case in August, maybe a little bit in September but in October, they’ve completely lost it.
Paul Lambert has a lot of strikers to his disposal, Benteke, Agbonlahor, Weimann, Bowery, Helenius and Kozak. That’s 6 strikers, 6! Benteke has scored the majority of these goals (4 League, 1 Cup), Weimann is second (1 League, 1 Cup) and Kozak has also scored 1 goal for Aston Villa. Their goal tallies aren’t particularly high but they have had chances to increase that tally. I reckon the forwards could improve their finishing, but I never expect anyone to get every shot on target. Since Lambert has 6 strikers, why doesn’t he alternate them for specific games? Weimann is completely out of form and Agbonlahor is yet to score a goal this season. Why not try to partner up Kozak and Benteke together? Or play Helenius behind Benteke? Give Bowery a chance on the wing again? Mixing it up will change the oppositions defensive plans and make us a little bit less predictable.
What might be more alarming is the service. There just isn’t enough. Our midfield isn’t overflowing with creativity. Only Westwood and Bacuna have provided assists from midfield (1 each). Lambert does have a few wingers, Albrighton, Tonev and Bacuna that can provide width and some options from out wide. He doesn’t utilise that. Instead we’ve seen El Ahmadi, Westwood and Delph play together. Their role is to support the defence and allow the front three to create and score goals. This, in theory should work, but our forwards aren’t capable of providing enough service for themselves.
Is there an answer? Perhaps something can be done. Tonev provided a spark in midfield against Everton, I’d give him another start. Change the front-three partnership, it’s gotten a little predictable and hasn’t be affective in over three games. But most vitally, Lambert has to sign an attacking midfielder in January. If he can’t get his main man, fine, get someone that is younger, less proven but has potential. Or get someone on loan! We are crying out for an attacking midfielder and it will change our season. Results-wise, I’m not too worried (just yet), but I am worried about the lack of goals.
Helenius IN – Weimann OUT.
Sylla IN – Westwood OUT
Kozak is super duper slow, Helenius is pacier and 10x better running with the ball. Deserves a chance.
Weimann and Westwood have been on a downward slope, time for a breather.
I fail to see how Bowery can be taken seriously as a Premier League player, just wish it was him and not Albrighton to go out on loan.
Perhaps its time for a Lowton revival and push on Bacuna, after all, he seems to have the ability to go past players and provide crosses.
We have, like you say become extremely predictable and teams know exactly how to play against us.
I’d put Bacuna back into midfield. He’s a threat in attack and West Ham would be a good opportunity for Lowton to get another chance in defence.
Westwood should have bench time as well as Weimann. Both players have offered very little and I’m certain Sylla posses a greater threat in attack
Adam you not worried you been at the cooking sherry again.Six strikers and not one could put the ball through a gap as big as a barn door when it;s open and you also think it;s aright to lose to Spuds & Toffees and ar home to boot.How much Lambert payed you to post this.
Of coarse he’s not worried about losing to everton and spuds, because he actually has a brain and knows aston villa or any other football club cannot win every game! Spuds and everton are better teams than us, nobody is happy that we lost except maybe the negative i told you so’s who delight in misery. I really can’t understand all the negativity at the moment, there are things to be negative about of coarse things are not goin well at the moment but every team has these patches just some people can’t comprehend that football teams sometimes lose and if your not a top 4 club sometimes you lose a couple games in a row there is no need for this crazy over-reaction, i would love to post a positive article just to stop this rot of nothing but negative articles but don’t really know how. UTV
KerryV, the fact that it’s so easy to trot out the line ‘Everton and Spurs are better than us’ line is evidence that we’ve now accepted the mediocrity that Lerner has dished up. People think he’s a fool but the fact that he’s got the majority of Villa fans thinking that it’s a good season so long as we don’t go down is the work of a genius. His PR team need knighting. How long have Everton been so much better than us that it’s wrong to moan like an ageing whore when we lose at home to them? The negativity is mostly from old farts like me who remember when we used to compete in every game whoever the opposition. When a season ticket meant you’d see a few wins. When the very thought of being outspent, outmanaged and below teams like Southampton and Swansea was cause to raid another club for one of their star names. I don’t remember the team under Billy McNeill being worse than this shower. I don’t blame Lamberk either, he is just another person who will manage on a shoestring budget and do his best to keep us in the league.
BTW, I don’t delight in misery, I delighted in the Wembley trips, the cup runs and going to games for enjoyment. What we’ve got now is misery, but I for one aren’t reveling in it. And the worst part is there seems no end to it anytime soon. I look forward to reading your positive article Kerry as I enjoy reading your posts.
I understand where your comin from earl, i don’t expect any fan to be happy with the fact that everton are better than us, i mean honestly being better than everton and gettin 6th place seems so long ago now its ridiculous but it was only 3 years ago so its bollox the likes of spuds and everton where they are now but my point is just to remember that they and swansea, southampton have been working on this project for many years where as Lambert has only just started and should be given at least till the end of the season to prove if we have improved or not.
All these fans that cream themselves over swansea, and everton and others don’t seem to take the fact that fan these clubs started on really low budgets and built the club up, it took moyes what 10 years or more to get everton where they are today and he had lots of ups and downs, if at the end of the season we are not comfortably mid table then this year will have been a failure but at the moment we are mid table so how it can’t be seen as a decent start especially when you look at the opposition we have faced just boggles the mind, i mean seriously where do you expect us to be? Top 6? Will that have been a successful enough start for ye?
FWIW Moyes took over a club who had been narrowly avoiding relegation for a couple of years (much like us). He kept them up in his first season finishing 15th, the following year he got them up to 7th but then back to 17th followed by 4th place then 11th place finishes before gaining any form of consistency. The year he finished 17th they stayed up by the skin of their teeth and just about every toffee fan wanted him out, the next year they finished in the Champions League places!!!! The football landscape has changed massively since but it just goes to show that you need to give a manager time. As you rightly say the other teams mentioned are much further into their project than Lambert. If we give him time, support the boys on the field and get rid of some of this negativity I’m sure we’ll do well. Unfortunateley it wont happen over night.
Insert Ooahhs routine “another one saying give him time” response below.
Drought Adam, draught is the Kop end allegedly sucking the ball into the net lol !
I’ll take a clearer view on this after the next ten games. Think we’ll be hitting the back of the net again regularly in the near future.
No shit sherlock its cause our strikers are crap how many times have they missed easy chances how can you have that many players out of form at the same time I blame lambert his done fuck all to change this a sign of bad management to me I bet you west ham game will be the same lambert out
The whole team Benteke and Guzan apart is so poor and limited that i really do think its time to worry as confidence sinks and tiredness becomes an issue after January you really do have to fear how this team of misfits will get enough points to stay up. There is no doubt in my mind that there will not be more than 9 points between us and Crystal palace come the end of the season. But next summer we will no doubt be raiding Bradford, Scunthorp,Walsall and a whole host of lower league Greek and Hungarian teams to spend the Benteke money on players no one else want for about 1 to 2 million just purely becuase they are under 25. the club and manager have become laughing stocks
the last 3 matches, no goals, spurs have conceded 5 in 9 games 2nd best in the league, hull have conceded 1 in 5 home games when we played them, and against eveton we created plenty of chances, we should have scored. don’t think its anything to panic about goal wise.
my biggest concern is the constant appearance of westwood over KEA and sylla, westwood is looking like this seasons barry bannan.
Kerryvillan thank god i am off over the channel tonight for a few days have not got to read the same old crap from you and the rest of LAMBERKS pr managers and by the way i do have a brain and am probably more intelligent than you Lambert lovers.
Lamberks lemmings!
No it isn’t.
Surely not scoring is a problem – Or else we’d have beat Everton and be Sat in 9th
Tough start to the season. Was reflecting on how we did against same teams last season and I reckon we are 6 pts better off and a better goal difference by +13. Can’t say I am over happy but not going to panic unless we dont pick up points against teams outside top half. Go to most of the games and reckon we should have got something from Chelsea/Everton so could be further ahead (although still not sure how we beat Man City).
Agree it is time to rest Weimann and Westwood. At home we have no width and teams just plonk someone on the wing and they have a direct line to full backs. Glaringly obvious from middle of the Holte.
The goal drought is a problem, we’ll definitely score again but it’s a little worrying we’re replying again on Benteke to come straight back in after injury and find our goals.
Also the midfield’s creativity, or lack of, isn’t helping the cause one bit.