You wouldn’t believe some of the things that tie up my time.
Today it’s been investigating why I can’t get the Quest channel on one TV, yet I can on the others. For some perverted reason, I love that sort of problem as it keeps me occupied.
It can takes ages to solve though and it’s why I’m so late posting my thoughts.
Whatever, we have a major shock today in a home game at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.
What is this sorcery, I wonder?
Whatever, I’ve watched Leicester a couple of times recently and while I feel they’re not a bad side, I don’t think they’re particularly good either. It’s almost like they can’t quite get going. They’re 14th in the league, but are on a quite lowly 18 points, which means they’re only 3 points above bottom placed Southampton.
I never really realised how tight things were at the bottom until I just looked, but I digress.
Squad news and it’s not too bad.
John McGinn is fit and he’s the interesting one for me. Will he come straight back in or will he be introduced as a sub later in the game? I partly wonder if he might not be involved at all, but I’m not convinced that even the seemingly quite ruthless Unai Emery would leave the captain out totally. Not just yet, anyway.
Lucas Digne is also available, but I’m not at all convinced he’ll get on over Moreno, who looks a better option to me.
Carlos and Traore are not quite ready, but are closing in on being available and Jed Steer remains some way off.
The one I’ve left to last is Duran, who “is not ready” according to the manager when we first signed him, but whose stance is now “I think he can (be involved) tomorrow maybe, possibly play minutes and make his debut on the pitch.”
Interesting.
Was Emery just downplaying things to keep the pressure off the young lad or is it the case that he’s just looked so good in training? I’m sure we’re all looking forward to seeing him, but I think if I were the manager, I’d only look to bring him on if we’ve had a good performance and are comfortably leading. I’d suggest a Villa park full of fans who are on the edge because of a tight game might not be the best time to introduce him.
As for Leicester, it’s pretty much all good news, as they have a fully fit squad to choose from with Souttar being the only slight doubt after being out for a couple of weeks with a hip problem.
One player they won’t have available is Marc Albrighton, who has gone on loan to West Brom.
I watched his debut last night and drooled at his constantly good deliveries which earned him the MOTM award, I think. Every time I see him play, I’m reminded that letting him go was possibly the worst decision involving a player the club ever made in my memory. We still don’t have a player who can cross as well as him.
Prediction time then and it’s a win for us. Leicester haven’t won in five games (although we all know what that can mean when it comes to the Villa being the gift that keeps on giving) and I think we should have too much for them. Home advantage should help, although Leicester have actually won more games away than at home (3 against 2).
I don’t see many goals though and am going for a 1-0, which would do very nicely, especially as we might move up a place or two in the table. Certainly a win would move us above Chelsea which, even though they’re no great shakes at the moment, is still some decent feat.
UTV!
Thought we played some nice stuff today. Very sloppy giving the ball away but pretty good esp second half. That’s my glass half full review.
At times going forward we played some beautiful stuff but the back?
What can you say?
I’m convinced we ultimately lost this game by handing Leicester their first goal.
It was a carbon copy of the out ball leading to the Stevenage penalty and the ball to Luiz that led to the Brighton goal and, if memory serves correct, on at least one other occasion.
If Olsen had played it we’d have been all over him yet Martinez has done it on two occasions at least. I understand the desire to play out from the back but to play a short ball to the edge of the D when the receiving player has two opposing players pressing is stupid.
What’s the definition of madness?
I’d totally agree with your summing up Hitch.
We had our tails up and with the home fans, a fair wind behind us! Don’t conceed a sucker punch and we go into win that comfortably?
But as they say if me aunt had a …
” I’m convinced we ultimately lost this game by handing Leicester their first goal.”………..I have put the same thing on FB earlier…..it completely changed the game….we were well on top with Leicester not getting anything…after the goal it switched and all thought the rest of match Leicester just sat and waited for us to hand things to them…..if MINGS had made the mess for goal 4 FB would have exploded…..
We handed them the game never mind the first goal VD3.
I still can’t believe we got done and yet looked so slick at times?
Oh well it’s a work in progress so these results are going to happen but Leicester?
That’s a bit hard to take.
Is it possible to change my email address on here without ” having to start all over again”….
Hitch’s post at 6.38pm is spot on. It was only 4 weeks ago that we self-combusted vs Stevenage with an idiotic phase of play between Olsen and Dendoncker…and yet we do the very same thing against Leicester today with Martinez and Kamara. It’s mind-boggling, it really is. Leicester were there for the taking and I firmly believe had we “managed” the game professionally for a few minutes after we’d taken the lead, we’d have gone on to win quite comfortably.
Massive missed opportunity given our next 2 fixtures.
P.S. For £30m, Bailey is utterly hopeless. I really pray Traore can take his place when he is fit…