First off, let me say what a fantastic advert for the Premier League that was. It’s no wonder it’s the most watched league by far, as nowhere else can you see a game ebbing and flowing the way it did today, especially when you consider it was nearly top of the league against the bottom. Would you get that in La Ligue? Doubtful, at least the vast majority of the time. Consider Forest beat Liverpool on their own patch today too.
It just had everything, in Everton taking an undeserved, but typical Aston Villa type game lead. They even went on to lead 2-0 too, even though we’d spanked them for the first 20 minutes, with some good pressing and some lovely, rapid one touch play. Was anyone surprised when that happened? I wasn’t and not being young, I very much suspect I wasn’t alone.
Which brings me to my big concern. I don’t want to put a dampener on things, but today’s approach was a case of “we’re gonna score one more than you”. And while that can be great to watch, it’s almost always unsuccessful. Maybe Unai thought we could go that way today and fortunately, if so, he called it right.
But I doubt that was the case and he’ll surely have been as disappointed as I was at the way we were breached so easily. Was there one strong Everton attack that we managed to resist? If so I don’t remember it or at least it didn’t impress me much.
We look weak at the back and quite simply, Champions league teams will rip us to pieces; certainly the better ones, if that’s all our defence can muster.
Still, today, I prefer to think that Unai was more interested in attacking Everton and ultimately, it worked.
Ollie looks miles off it to me, but proved me totally wrong in getting two goals. He missed another he should have buried, but given the result, I can live with it. No doubt if we’d lost I’d have been complaining like mad, but that’s what it’s about isn’t it? He said himself he’s not 100%, so again we can’t complain.
So why not play Duran from the off and give Ollie a rest? The youngster thinks he’s better than Ollie and certainly looks the better out and out striker. But his time will come and it isn’t just yet, in my opinion. Keep doing what you’re doing Jhon and you’ll be playing when you look more likely than Ollie.
The world really is his oyster at the moment and he’s so young too.
So who played well and who didn’t?
Rogers looks so threatening and is very much like Ramsey, in exactly the driving type of midfielder I like to see. To have two of these types is great and we saw exactly why today. Rogers played well and Ramsey not so well. We always have that big attacking threat is the point.
Tielemens pulled loads of strings and was a close second for me. He’s really starting to look like the player we thought he was and made things tick.
Watkins also has to be up there, although I’m not so prone to praising strikers for doing there basic requirement, but when you consider how far off it he looks, he did well. I do find it concerning that he doesn’t look happy in his play of late, but I’m inclined to think he might be mentally jaded more than anything.
And of course, Duran “the petulant” also did well. Along with the longest distance goal this season, he also hit it with such a curl, it’ll be remembered by many this season. He also did a nice chest down and high level scissor kick that would probably have surpassed his first if it had gone in. “Dangerous” is definitely the word, where he’s concerned and while I still think Ollie is by some way the better player, he now doesn’t look quite the liability he did a while back and I’d be perfectly happy for him to come on against any team. Including the likes of Bayern, which is some praise coming from me, seeing as I wanted him gone just weeks ago, because I thought his attitude was irretrievable. No doubt Unai’s word in his ear has worked. I’m happy to say that’s great, if so.
I’m not going to say too much about who didn’t play well, especially when they were mostly young lads, but John McGinn will be able to take it. I thought he also looks off it. Being played out wide definitely takes from his game, but no doubt he’s just doing as he’s told and playing for the team.
I still think we need another RB, but it is what is.
So a great win, although I’d have been going nuts if we’d lost.
Does that make me fickle or is it just an indicator of those fine dividing lines that the Prem is all about?
UTV!
I’m so bored, I’ve just managed to discover Pesto the Penguin.
Well that was even worse than Saturday’s first half. Villa just not interested – like why are we playing in this Mickey Mouse cup?
Emery will have to be a magician to change this around
WTF! Our Ipswich game is on SUNDAY when we host Bayern on Tuesday???!!!
Bayern on Wednesday, Bum Bum.
Phew! Thank God for that!
Pleased Emi netted!!!! Bailey and Onana off. 17 yr old Hayden on, who looks 12, and JJ…
Let’s hope for a ‘Wolves’ second half. I appreciate there are changes, but there is a lack of fluency.
Expect Ramsey for Young change by 60th minute.
Bum Bum
Good news Bayern play on Saturday at 5:30pm. Further they play Leverkusen!
Not a good game so far. We lack urgency and cohesion. When you look at Chelsea’s line up compared to ours, it’s clear we lack strength in depth. Bailey not in the game and Barkley hasn’t impressed either. Duran has seen a couple of efforts go wide when we expect him to hit the target! Let’s see if Emery can work his half time magic.
We have a good squad and we rotate well. We’ve just chosen to rest them all! And Chel$ea are allowed 250 first team players 🤣
Commentators: ‘Ramsey comes on for Bailey who has been preferred over the Jamaican in recent weeks’.
Bailey has been injured. Don’t they actually do any research anymore????
Sawaris is actually at this game!!!!! That’s commitment for you!!!!
Can you see any replacement out of this showing tonight for the first team . I’m bored tell me why not one played the ball forward, we never created shooting play just keeping the ball all the game .
The League Cup used to be such a brilliant competition…that beautiful trophy.
Sponsorship totally ruined it. Milk. Rumbelows. Etc…
2-0. Job done.
It was always Coca Cola for me, Bum Bum. 90s good times.
Not sure about the penalty – looks soft to me.
Still we’ll just take it.
Barkley has been absolutely pants tonight.
Villa still trying to give the game away with stupid, sloppy defending.
Notwithstanding, I do like the look of Gauci – I think Olsen’s No2 career is over 🙂
Not a good match.
Big positive is Borland. He looks a great prospect. Really got stuck in and distribution was good. I look forward to watching his development.
Sid, I thought all the kids, given their inexperience, did pretty well – it was Onana and Barkley that were poor imho. It seems both owe a lot to Tielemans class!
I thought he played really well. One to watch out for
Borland impressed me when he came on. I thought he was Ramsey’s mascot when I first saw him. Into the next round though and another opportunity for more minutes to the fringe players.
Borland really impressed me too, for a 17 year old very Modrić-esque.
That’s some compliment.
It seems the team have picked up a chronic allergy to clean sheets.
🙂
It was never going to be a top drawer game. Citeh had a similar night and Chelsea played a Sunday league team.
Job done. A run out for those who needed game time and great experience for the kids. Impressive to see one of our owners there! He could probably have bought Wycombe with spare change he found down the back of one of his many sofas.
Sunday in Suffolk. I think this’ll be a real test for us. Ipswich will be fighting for their lives, and we need 3 points with just the right amount of effort putting in. Then Bayern. Emery has got a job on his hands ensuring we’re focused on Sunday rather than midweek. Too easy to drop points like that..
I’ll get me beer ready for Sunday but I predict a hard fought 2-0 for us. Sorry Ed Sheeran, you overrated tw@t.
No. He’s not an overrated tw@t, just having a bad gig.
😂
Watch it, Ron!!!!!!!
I need to sort my diary out. I was in Bern on 14/15 Sep, just days before the Villa game. Saw signs for the Wankdorf as I drove off towards Germany. Even funnier I overtook a van that had Sucht Dicht on it. 😱
I’m in Leipzig for a few days leaving on 2 Dec. Villa play there a week later. I suppose I could be a scout for the club and sneak a peek at their training sessions
🤣🤣🤣
Young boys at the wankdorf just sounds so wrong
Three years ago today, Kortney Haus scored the winner at Old Trafford for Dean Smith’s Villa. Only three years. And with a large bump in the road in between.
Meanwhile, Unai has broken the record for fastest 50 wins as a Villa manager. Smashed it, actually.
Class act. 👌👌👌👏👏👏
Oooooooo, I dunno. I think the jury is still out on Unai! 🙂
Palace at home in the next round!!!
Always dangerous but you would expect – dare I say demand – to get to the quarter final. IF Unai decides he wants to win it and plays a FULL strength side; anything less and Palace will go through.
Palace more likely to play a full side as Cups their only opportunity of winning something this season. Villa are unlikely to put out a side stronger than against Wycombe. Pep saying he’ll play 2nd team in the Cup and Villa will do the same – Citeh have the stronger, deeper squad.
I can’t see past a Palace win and I don’t think Emery will be that fussed.
Main objective for Villa – 1. Finish top six; 2. Get as far into the CL as they can.
A mistake, in my opinion. Hitch. The top managers used the League Cup as their springboard; how many times has Pep won it? What was Mourinho’s first trophy for Chelsea? What did Klopp win with Liverpool most recently when other cups were seemingly out of reach?