The College Dropout

It was the midfield. Ramsay and Buendia kept having the ball between full back and CB with little pressure from midfield. Easily knocking it behind the defence or bouncing it off Watkins and sustaining the attack. This happened for 90 minutes.

No. Neither of them have any real pace. Watkins has scored his goals running between CBs. We were always going to be vulnerable to that and it needed active mitigation. Maybe a deeper line, a defensive 3, stopping the supply lines etc. I don’t know but we clearly didn’t have much of a plan for Villa’s strengths. Anyway. These things happen. As someone pointed out, nobody turned up. We go again.

People are so sensitive. Even Pep has weaknesses. He can overthink and change his system too much based on opposition. And he’s the greatest manager of all time. Fergie was often schooled tactically in Europe etc. I can say Howe is a little inflexible in setting up his team va the opps strengths

I agree with this. I’ve struggled to accept that Dan Burn is the horse for every course but that’s how Howe sees things.

Stop being so sensitive. Howe has done miracles. He’s been great. We know this. But we came to play the exact same game we always try to play. When it didn’t work, we had no idea how to stop the opposition. The 10s kept getting the ball in the half spaces and doing whatever they wanted. The left back kept exploiting space out wide. Bruno was piss poor but he was often running between two 10s. We kept being vulnerable to Watkins runs between central defenders. Botman was playing like he didn’t realise Watkins was right footed. These are things we can mitigate and prepare for.

Exactly this. Spurs won’t do it though. But the others might.

This is what I mean. Villa’s default style is LB pushing high up. Both ‘wingers’ are more central players anyway and will come inside into the half spaces and will try and link up with Watkins and get him into balls between the CBs. Then 3 midfielders and 3 defenders deeper. One of the midfielders can push on to support. And we looked totally unprepared for it when it worked well from the off. Bruno got nowhere near Buendia or Ramsay and needed more support and positional sense in there. The LB was in tons of space time and time again. we either needed a back 3 or to be stiffer in midfield. I saw a tifo video on Villa yesterday. They attacked exactly as the video said. We looked totally unprepared for it and didn’t cope with it at all for a full 90 minutes.

That’s his plan B. And it’s firmly plan B. What I mean is ‘the opposition will setup like this… so I will set us up a little different to counter it’. Like Pep will alter his time a little when facing a back 3. He’s not so much a horses for courses manager. We have the finances to make plan A and B brilliant though. I think Klopp is the same. They are doing what they are doing, it either works or it doesn’t.

His YouTube highlights are not impressive either.

He had excellent marketing at Everton. And he’s quick.

Learning a lot about Eddie. He’s not the most tactically flexible is he?

Loved Schar this season. But we need some pace in central defence.

When we come up against a box midfield like that we need a proper double pivot

Has to be said. He had an absolute stinker. Needed more support from midfield.

Agreed. Miggy back is a boost. But every fullback has to worry about what ASM is cooking. And he’ll still create something.

yeh he was awful. But honestly he’s not usually THAT much better. He’s been a consistently tolerated weak link. I thought it was Botman that got twisted up for the second and I was annoyed and shocked. When i realised it was Burn I thought ‘aye, that’s typical Burn defending - getting done by a bit of guile, over commuting then turned’.

Poor for the 3rd. I don’t think he starts against Spurs you know.

?? His level is not as high as the rest. Trippier, Botman, Schar were all arguably worse than Burn today. Burn did Burn things in the main. Botman? Looked a total donkey out the blue.

Everyone who didn’t start this game has come out looking better. Targett, Longstaff, ASM, Miggy etc.

The fact everything went bad makes me feel better. Bruno and Trippier were awful.

Tbh he played closer to his level than the rest of the defence.

We always needed to beat Spurs.

He’s been good today. Clearly an excellent ‘pro’.

Emery has bested Howe tactically here.

The Villa wide 10’s have killed us. The left back has killed us. Watkins has killed us.