Guess what I’m going to say about this game?
Yes, it’s another tough one.
There really are no easy games in the Premier league now, are there?
I know it seems like being a bit entitled, but this is a team that I’d have put money on to lose to us in years gone by, but those days are long gone.
Now I think Patrick Viera has done and is doing a great job at the club and his team just remind me so much of him, in being physical and no nonsense, while having no small amount of skill at the same time.
I watched Palace at Liverpool on the telly last week and they were very good value for their point and on a better day, would have taken all three, which is no mean feat, as we all know.
Squad news then and the big one is Diego Carlos.
My son in law told me after the Everton game that there looked to be serious concern about the defender, but I really thought it was quite innocuous and told him we didn’t need to worry.
I was well wrong there and the latest is that his surgery has been successful, which is obviously great news. It still means he’ll be out for months and that’s a massive loss, given that he looked very refined and real top class.
Kortney Hause has returned to training, but I suspect it’s all academic as it seems Steven Gerrard doesn’t rate him and the rumours are that he’s off to Watford. You would imagine of course that he’ll only be allowed to leave if we get a replacement in first, but if it’s someone of a similar level, I don’t see the point, as Hause is a fairly competent backup defender in my opinion.
If it’s the case that he seriously wants out because he can’t get a game, well, it would be best if leaves, I suppose. Suffice to say I’d be okay if he stays.
And otherwise, we’re in a good state.
As for Palace, James Tomkins and James McArthur are injured.
Viera went with a back five against Liverpool, to try and counter their serious threat, but given that we don’t present the same sort of threat, he’ll probably go back to a back four, so he can get another attacking type player in the side.
Palace no doubt look at the Villa in a similar way that we look at them; as rivals for similar positions.
Does that mean that Viera will attack us and put two up front? I’d say definitely so, especially when anyone can see that we’re horrendous in defence and even worse when it comes to set pieces.
In fact, I think Aston Villa are the perfect club for Palace to do exactly what they normally do against us.
We might have a bit more quality than Palace, but there’s just no way I can see us living with their physicality.
Then add in strikers with guile, such as Zaha and Odsonne Edouard and I can only see things going one way.
I’m going to predict us going one-nil down to yet another early goal from a set piece, meaning we’ll have to chase the game, which will play right into the Eagles’ hands.
And we’ll go on to lose 2-0.
If that’s how it plays out, I won’t know what to think.
Well, I will, but I’ll hopefully be keeping quiet about it.
UTV!
Our defence, haha.
Even Hughes can make them look a bunch of schoolboys.
How many Villa players would be good enough for Palace? I would say none of them. It’s also clear that Viera > Gerrard
Disagree Holte.
It’s not the players.
It’s the way they’re being setup.
Viera > Gerrard? Without a doubt.
Badger – I think Holte’s right.
We have a squad of individuals but no team – not one of them would strengthen Palace as a team.
We’re weak in key team positions which we haven’t solved and making McGinn captain is another example of Gerrard’s poor decision making.
And Purslow can stick his hand up as well.
Poch, Rodgers, Potter et al – there are any number of managers that I would take over Gerrard.
Badger, I agree that Viera would improve our players but I’m only commenting on what I have just seen ☹️
Brendan Rogers for me! Moving on from Dean was really supposed to be an upgrade. This is not an upgrade. Time to step it up now and start getting serious for once. Get the proven goods, pay a little more! It might just pay off!
Tom, look at the players Palace have bought in over the last couple of seasons and how much they cost – then look at who Villa have bought in – I rest my case.
We continue to make poor decisions in every aspect of the club.
Bring back Smith and get Frank in with him
Or just try and get poch anybody else but Gerrard
But to be honest they won’t sack him at least till Xmas.
But I do think that there’s no smoke without fire and some players are not on board with the system he’s trying to play.
It was ok in Scotland but this is the premier League.
The word Premier should have told them he’s not up to it if you want to bring back success to the club.
When villa won the league it was a team not a bunch of individuals with ego’s.
Villa had good preseason every time that happens their poor in the league for some reason.
A bad preseason and their better in league? Is it they think they can just turn up?
Bolton next not confident about that one😭
We finished last season in relegation form and we started this season in the same vein.
Gerrard has to go before it’s too late – and please take McFee and McAllister with you.
It isn’t just the way we have started this season but the way we finished last season too. A shambles is the best way to describe us at the moment. We look like a team that gets together just for match days only. Players like Martinez, Konsa, McGinn and Watkins have become poorer under Gerrard’s management. Even Cash was poor defensively today. It’s a joke to even think we had European aspirations before the season started. West Ham, Arsenal and Man City up next probably means no points and we will be bottom 3 after those games. Undoubtedly Purslow will maintain his faith in this fraud of a manager.
If we lose those three then Gerrard has to go – what defence does Purslow have in keeping him after the way Smith was removed?
I’m not saying Smith is the answer but neither is Gerrard – we don’t need until Christmas to prove that.