Blimey, I’ve nailed my colours to the mast there, haven’t I? But the fact is, it is what I think. That’s done for that, then, knowing my predictions.
Legia beat us 3-2 on their turf and we really weren’t very good. Their crowd helped them massively but they aren’t going to have that today and our home form is seriously better anyway.
Straight into squad news and it’s all good for us, with only Mings and Buendia out.
Given that Ramsey made an appearance against Spurs, you’d expect him to start and I’d also expect Moreno to get minutes too, if things are going our way.
Duran no doubt takes Watkins’ place and if so, I’d take that as a sign that he is still firmly in the picture.
Tielemans has done well recently, so he’ll probably start too.
Otherwise, I’m going to assume Emery’s learned his lesson about ripping the team to pieces and he won’t change too much from the off and swap things out when the game is won.
Three changes then, but they’re more reasoned, I’d suggest and not like throwing Chambers and Dendoncker in, when they haven’t played for a while or demonstrated any form.
As for Legia, I’m seriously struggling to get news about them and that’s a bit disappointing, in that it seems they’re not given much respect over here.
Villa are 1/4 to win this and I’d guess that’s about right.
So while I’m not counting my chickens, I’m fairly confident we will win it.
We need to win it by two clear goals to come out as group winners, I believe and I firmly believe we’ll achieve that too.
No more messing about, let’s just do this. Then we can play all sorts in game 6, which is against Zrinjski Mostar.
I’m going for 3-1, because we’re always likely to concede. But I’m hoping it will be more.
1-1 it is then, knowing the Villa.
UTV!
Moreno, get in kid!
2-1
Ooh, memories of Gascoigne at Wembley that…
Moreno is back – chalk one up to McPhee
Seemingly another McPhee masterpiece with McGinn stood 4 yards offside.
Dirty buggers and hard as nails are these lot…
I’m really starting to dislike this Warsaw side. Overly physical and downright dirty at times. And then they roll over on the ground at the slightest of touches. And why the 2 yellows for Luiz and Teilmans? A joke.
Bailey and JJ coming on!!!!
So we’ve won the group???? I’m confused…
No. Qualified, as top two, but may have to go into playoffs, when we’d have gone clean through with a 2 goal win.
Anyone else fancy Ramsey to score?
Emery clearly trusts McPhee which is credit to him given the fans weren’t sure about him.
Good to see Ramsey coming on.
Dirty lot this Warsaw side
2 players on the floor! No pen. That foul on Luiz was awful.
I just don’t get it why are we still wasting time when we need to have more goals ?
A draw in the final game is all we need, Bill. It’s all good!
We don’t need more goals mate, only if us and Legia finish level on points, our destiny is in our own hands and we are top of the group, we just need a draw in our final game.
I knew in my heart of hearts the Villa would come through. 💜
No comment.
I’m not happy and think Emery cost us another tough game we really could have done without.
Some good news is that their fans weren’t even allowed in.
That’s the way to learn these idiots.
A face to face punch up, agreed by both sides is one thing, but these ultras are just lunatics.
Was it Emery or was it the players?
The same team played with far more intensity second half.
I suppose the other point to remember is that Warsaw only scored because of a(nother) mistake from Kamara. The kid is really good but at times he can be too relaxed.
Emery, 100% for me.
That second half pace is how we always play in the prem, so it could only be instructions, to my mind.
Far too cautious and we let them in, whereas they were about the equivalent of a championship team, imo.
Messing about at half speed really doesn’t suit us, imo when it’s obvious that we’re being trained to play quick, one touch footy that just destroys the opposition.
When we don’t do it, I just wonder what the hell someone is thinking.
And that someone can only be Emery, as much as I love him.
And Olsen? Jesus, unbelieveable.
Just sack him off and employ me instead.
The only thing he can do is distribute the ball. He can’t read the game in the slightest.
Good morning, chaps.
Emery got the job done, again. Consider:
Top of the group with destiny in own hands.
Key players rested for an absolute monster of a December program – have you seen the fixture list?! I dare say they’ll be rested again for the final game of the group…
3 points at Villa park.
Job done.
I agree, we weren’t ‘entertained’, especially in the first half, but needs must, and all the energy conserved in the first half from playing at a pedestrian pace, not to mention potential injuries avoided from not playing full-throttle, although infuriating, is all energy in the bank for much bigger tests coming very soon. We have to remember that the players are humans, not machines. And how concerned we were in the summer about the Tursday-weekend program. I think he’s managed it perfectly. And that what he’s paid to do: manage. Thank you, Unai!
Emery knows what he’s doing.
Buckle up for a roller-coaster December! Potential banana skin on Sunday, very similar to Forest; we have to get through games like that, and last night’s management of the game will help!
UTV!
p.s. remember that Duran is only 19 years old – plenty more to come, and all the minutes he’s getting is valuable experience!
Morning BFR – any brass monkeys on the door step at 6.24 🙂
Good summation.
Haha, I’m out in Cyprus, Hitch, so two hours ahead and slightly warmer!
Looking forward to (hopefully) coming over for the Burnley game on the 30th…🤞
Lucky you 🙂
Bit fragile this morning lads wished we got that other goal but hey we’re still in it . Hard luck on Baileys effort bang centre of the ball on goal line any other day in the net . Still wish we would piss about at the back and make them defend up the pitch, still Emery knows what he’s doing , I hope . What a disgrace from the Polish fans chuck them out of the contest I say bloody prat’s .
Hard fought win; much better second half.
Just need a draw in Mostar.
Warsaw not sure of qualification.
Warsaw fans an absolute disgrace and not allowed into the ground due to violent behaviour – Warsaw respond by complaining about the limited allocation! Heaven knows what would have happened had they received a full allocation!
About time there was recognition that England fans are no longer the problem in Europe.
A much improved 2nd half. Cash picked up his game and Moreno considering it was his first game was probably MOTM.
Legia were dirty just like their fans and some really bad fouls when they couldn’t get into the game.
Hopefully no one has picked up any injuries.
Shame we couldn’t get the 3rd goal but only a draw needed in final game.
Even if we lose in Mostar, Warsaw have to win and overturn a three goal beneficial GD to get ahead of us.
Unai Emery’s Claret and Blue Army. Happy days 🙂
Thought we were sloppy in the 1st half -Kamara has done that sort of thing before, and McGinn wasn’t exactly pulling up treees either.
Much better 2nd half; Emery must have read them the riot act. However, 2 things that I take from to night’s game:
We need a much better back-up to Martinez than Olsen; he simply makes me (& I suspect, half the team) nervous every time he has the ball.
We also need to find a ‘conventional’ back-up to Watkins; Duran isn’t it (and I don’t believe that Archer or any of the others we’ve sold fit the bill, either).
As for the Legia fans, they (& their club) should be thrown out of the competition by EUFA.
At the very least should have to play their final Group match against AZ behind closed doors. If AZ win that then I think they will qualify, not Warsaw, on the head to head as both would have 9 points.
We saw during Covid that taking away the home support substantially increased the number of away wins in the EPL.
I think EUFA would do a better job than UEFA, to be fair… 😄
It’s working now… Email and Name weren’t showing up on both laptop and phone…
It’s the same for me.
There’s nothing there until you type something and then the boxes appear.
I have to redo my email and username every time unless I’m logged into the dashboard, whereas before they used to be automatically there and it’s annoying.
I’m going to try something now.
When Villa were on the march to Rotterdam was only a few years after Man Utd and Liverpool fans (plus of course the England fans) had earned all English football fans a bad name on the Continent. That mantle of hooliganism has been passed to various other nations now. All of them bar Italy in Eastern Europe.
I remember the Russian response. Villa were away to Dynamo Kiev (then in the USSR, not independent Ukraine) but Kiev was too cold so the match was transferred to Crimea (population mainly Russian) and played in Sinferopol. Whether to boost the crowd, it is a long way from Kiev, or to keep the notorious British hooligans under control – the front three rows of seats all the way round the ground were filled with Russian soldiers in uniform and carrying Kalashnikovs.
There was no trouble! Except for Terry Weir, the club photographer who took pictures of the 200 or so Villa fans over the heads of the Army. He had his cameras confiscated and it took the intervention of the British Embassy chaperone to get him onto the plane home.