During pre-season I did blame the miscommunication between Clark and Vlaar as one of the main reasons why Villa kept conceding goals in pre-season. I also thought that Clark had to be put on the bench, I believed that Baker and Okore was the future. Today I was proven wrong. The two most experienced centre-backs proved today that they are here to compete with the best, and that these two will be our main centre-backs for the season. Alright, maybe I went a little to far with that last statement but against Arsenal, it was the presence of Clark that helped us see this game out.
Baker got injured in the 17th minute, I believed he deserved a spot in the starting 11 after his fantastic performances in pre-season. But when Clark came on I honestly thought that would be it, Arsenal would easily be able to get past us, cut our defence and so on. The outcome was the exactly opposite. The defence line was stronger, more shots were blocked and I think there was better communication between the midfield and defence.
Vlaar and Clark didn’t play a perfect game, Rosicky got through the defence same as Giroud, but the two centre-backs often reacted quickly enough to repair the mistake. Luna played more solid under Clark, and Guzan felt better protected as well.
I still have my slight doubts about Vlaar and Clark playing together, but against Arsenal they showed they are better than what the majority of us, well me at least, thought of them. The defensive line was strong, they weren’t bullied either. Chelsea will be a different monster, and I wonder if the two centre-backs of Vlaar and Clark will be able to contain the beasts that are Chelsea?
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Adam2231 got the game on at the moment, been looking at the defence Vlaar, Luna both are guilty of silly mistakes but redeem themselves as the game goes on, in my mind Arsenal have always played fast football and quick passing of the ball, we now have fast tackling players that want that ball, it was a pleasure to see a team playing for each other, Adam we have come back home to Villa Park brilliant match.
Adam mate it was an alround team performance such as we have not seen from VILLA for a long time they showed no fear a goal down & still kept going.These young Cubs are coming of age & IMO will with the tenacity they showed yesterday put the ROAR back into the LIONS of midlands football.All we need now is a few more additions before the 31st & nothing is impossible.
Adam are you on drugs mate. Vlaar was our worst player yesterday responsible for first goal and got a needless booking. Often got caught out with through balls where he stood and ball watched but Clarke got him out the shit. He is absolutely shit I was in a pub full of Villa fans watching yesterday and they all thought the same. He will be cruelly exposed on wed trust me. As for Clark I agree he looked a lot better and did the simple things well. He rescued vlaar at least twice when it should be the other way round. We desperately need another ch and cm
At last people are waking up to what a liability ‘Concrete’ is. The key to the win versus the arse was mobility, closing down, hustling, not giving the opposition time on the ball and 100 mile an our pace when we’re on the break. All the attributes our skipper hasn’t got. He doesn’t fit into the Lambert system and is incapable of adapting his game. Hopefully the manager is delivering the good news this morning that Delph is having the armband.
*mile an hour*
Would love to see Clark come good. Personally I would like to see Baker and Okore given a run out together.
very pleased with the performance of clark, kept it simple and put in a good shift with no daft mistakes.
got to agree with ooah on this one adam and vlarr was very lucky to stay on the pitch at 1-2.
hoping to see something of okore to this season.
with a game on tues expect a few changes although with such a young team they can run all day.
Lol…so we are playing Tuesday AND Wednesday….hope not 🙂
you never know with sky 😉
Lol… Very true mate. Should also arrange a game for Thursday and Friday 🙂
agrre with ooah on vlarr although I wouldn’t go so far as to call him ‘absolutely shit’ but he was defo our worst player yesterday, you and lambert must see something in him I don’t adam.
Vlaar was a liability yesterday. At fault for the first goal and was extremely lucky not to get a second yellow. PL should take the captain’s armband from him and give it to Delph. For me, Vlaar’s positioning gets him in trouble more than anything. Baker, very unlucky with injury. For me, its Okore and Baker to start with Vlaar and Clark on the bench!
Rotterdam82 don’t you mean OKore and Clarke, how can you drop Clarke on yesterdays game. Anyway would not risk Baker that knock looked like tendon or mussel let’s see.
With vlaar unreliable and baker injury prone we need to try Clark and Okore. But still need to buy a new ch maybe try and shift vlaar out or on loan if possible.
He wouldnt be dropped as such Bill as he started on the bench yesterday. I think Clark is more suitable as a DM rather than a CB…that just my opinion mate!
Went on a major piss up last night, what a fookin day! Deserved the win 100% UTV
Clarke impressed me to no end yesterday and looked incredibly tidy from when he came on to finish. If he can continue like that I’ll be happy to see him in the team. Okore is a must for me though and I think we’ll see him start at Chelski.
Vlaar was left wanting for pretty much the entire match, endless bad positioning and looks 100 yards off the pace of the prem. If this continues I don’t think he’s cut out for it, something I’ve been coming to realise of late. Our worst player yesterday by a country mile.
Delph desperately unlucky not to score, I was screaming thinking it was in ffs. Great shout for captain. Weimann Gabby and Beteke are unplayable and we are going to literally obliterate many defences this year.
Happy days, bring on Chelski! UTV
Spot on md8. At least other posters are waking up to how poor vlaar is I wasn’t talking bollocks after all
Yeah, Im still not convinced with Vlaar. Got totally done in the build up to their goal yesterday. Clark did well but i still have doubts over him at CB. Its a shame Baker is so injury prone.
I know its very unlikely but bringing in Barry as a CB is not the worst idea. He would fit in very nicely alongside someone like Okore.
In midfield still feel we need another qulaity addition. El Ahmadi worked hard in there yesterday but we need someone with a bit more quality.
Agree mate we need some sort if back up and experience. Barry would be like signing 5 new players as he can play dm cm lm lb and ch. Plus a good captain.
Have to say ooh ah your vlar bashing is justified this time, he was the worst player on the pitch yesterday and to be fair should hav seen red, but your hatred of him clouds your mind, even if he is dropped we absolutely cannot sell or loan him out, we need the back up, not only that but its 1 game and its against arsenal, they can destroy 99% of prem defenders in the prem be they utd, city, or chelsea defenders arsenal will always get chances so still a bit overkill with your comments, his biggest mistake is that he steps up too soon and leaves space in behind, against most teams this would not be a huge problem but against teams with arsenals passing and movement its a very dangerous game, hopefully he watches videos of the game and can learn from those mistakes, he might b 28 or whatever but that’s still not too old to learn. Clark deserves to keep his place and if he can play like that every game, knowing when to play it out from the back and when to just boot it out will make for great improvement because that is the weakest side of his game, im sure Lambert has been working on this over the summer, the whole team looks more mature and I’ve been sayin for years Delph will come good if he stays injury free and this could be his year, one last thing, somebody on this site once said they wished gabby would use his best skill (speed) to hit the ball past the defender and run onto it, yesterday he did it time and time again and as always gives everything he has, think Lambert has told him do the same thing again proving he is a much better manager than Mon, so please people stop the gabby bashing, he is not a world class player but he bleeds villa and when used right is really unplayable.
Vlaar s going to have to improve big time but wev been saying that for 6 months and if anything he is worse now. It dosnt help that he is so slow as if he had pace it would get him out of trouble. I’m hoping that we see a Clark/okore/baker partnership and vlaar just to play when wev no one else. Remember he had the audacity to say he was going to leave us if we went down on the eve of our biggest game of the season. That is not captain material. I think Delph should get the nod as he led by example yesterday. Vlaar needs to focus on his own game before anyone else’s. I agree arsenal will always cause defenders problems but the rest of the back four coped a lot better than vlaar and were covering for him. Clark as I mentioned in previous post has def improved and just did the simple things correctly for once which is all u need to do most of the time. Gabby has improved big time the last 5 months or so i say let him carry on using his pace and running at defenders but yesterday was arguably the best iv seen him play. Though that last ditch off the line clearance from ridgewell then going up the other end to score the winner against the scum was priceless 🙂
Gabby bashing is a definite no no! He is being played to his strengths at long last. I always thought he should play the ‘free role’ and have said so on many occasions. He is not nearly as effective when he is restricted. I feel that he can have a really good season and earn his place in Brazil!
Agreed, Rotterdam.
The previous idiot manager nearly ruined Gabby, imo, along with many others (Albrighton springs to mind).
Good shout kerry.
It’s actually quite nice to see Ooah being agreed with, for once re Vlaar.
I still don’t have the same downer on him, but he was poor yesterday and didn’t look fit enough to me, there’s no getting away from it.
Never mind, he’ll start on Wednesday and let’s just hope he plays better.
Totally agree about Gabby; he needs to do more of that sort of thing against defences.
Arsenal must hate him!
I bet Vidic does too 🙂
Sorry Oohah you must give it time, going at him as you do will not tell me your right and I’m wrong, yes he made mistakes and so did others, Delph if you remember was not at the standard as he is today, now he’s coming on a bungle but not as you say captain material yet, he’s is playing well but will get red cards with his enthusiasm to get balls for his team, Don’t get me wrong Vlaar does and has made idiotic mistakes but remember he is a international player and is now in the English premiere league and still learning the way we play, we have 5 other’s yet to enter our way of play , just give them that time, no doubt Lambert has already said his piece about what’s gone on yesterday , I still think he will come good. 🙂
Yeah but heskey was an international too means jack shit. How much more time does vlaar need Ffs he’s been here a year and got worse not better!!
Bill… ‘Delph is coming on a bungle’.. That made me laugh mate 🙂
OK how would would you like me to say , he’s brilliant ? Don’t get wrong, he’s young and eager and will get noticed by the big boys, but will get many cards to his name, I like the guy he’s good. 🙂
Bill… No offence mate but the word is BUNDLE not bungle 🙂
Sorry mate see what your saying.
Or as oohah might say ‘Vlaar has really come on a bungle’ 🙂
Vlaars come on a bungle!! More like a bundle of laughs!!:-)
Rotterdam Oohah will never say that, only one man for him, McGrath,
Sorry but Vlaar is a major liability. Big Ron (no not that one) is slow, has the turning circle of a Sherman tank, can read the game as good as the moles in the county grounds, has the grace and comfort on the ball as a clown on stilts and has the same pace as a slug in the rain.
Clarke did ok but i doubt I would trust him against a Van Persie, Aguero, Suarez or even Torres.
We need real pace at the back or a real gritty midfielder who can protect the back 4.
Luna did ok and nice goal but I would have much preferred Van De Weil, now there is a defender who would really improve us.
Van Der Wiel’s a RB and has been horrible for PSG.
wot the feck did we win ???????????????
some ppl are borderline obsessive against a certain player ~ yes i get the bashing post and u like 2 voice it, just bored of reading it
3 1
3 1
3 1
save ur player bashing 4 when they lose
It’s funny you mention 3-1 Nath, last night I was wandering around singing that to the tune of “Go West” by the Pet Shop Boys.
i was also on cloud 9 🙂 i say enjoy and sing while it lasts we deserve a gd season and we will get it so enjoy 4 once 😛
The point is Nath, for seasons we’ve tried quick fix after quick fix when things are going wrong. Why not look to improve when we’re on a high. Say ‘that was quality but we’re looking to improve here and here’. Build from a position of strength. I never imagined that result so I hope they continue to surprise week after week. Wednesday is a true test as it looked to me as if Chelski had another 3 gears left in dispatching Hull
so wot ur saying is players should not make mistakes ~ y/n
moon made one which almost cost a goal ~ he should av cleared a ball which he wanted guzan 2 come and claim and walcott almost took advantage of~ but no mention on ere of this ~ yes concrete was at fault 4 the goal but iam sure we won the game ~ also lambs is the boss,he will pick his central pairing based on wot he sees ~ i say trust that
Okore will get his chance soon, lambert stressed he isn’t ready avin missed games pre season, chelsea will be a far tougher opposition but confidence is high
on another note me and b6 correctly predicted the 3,1 we saw vlaar mistake and our success on the break 😛
Yep agree wasn’t impressed with moons defending either but u have to give him a dozen games to settle in. Vlaars fucks up every single game and he has had a season with us.
i find it strange we are discussing vlaars mistake b4 posting how we deserved the win, how we bullied arsenal in every area of the pitch, how this was almost the same team as last year minus moon ~ players are improving and when new players get their chance who knows were we will finish
delph had the best game i av seen for us and gabby,guzan the list goes on
I wrote all that in my article on sat how we bullied them etc
Oohah mate just had a thought why call him concrete Ron is it the way he plays as though his boots are full of concrete.
Could be terry. We would be better of getting rid of him to the bomb squad and just paying a tenner to put a statue next to Clark I don’t think anyone would notice to be honest
Nice one Math, I agree 🙂