JoeyBartoon

Isak would have about 40 goals if he any players 5-10 yards from him.

Massive pressure on Villa now if we beat Ipswich.

This was the kind of game where our predictability and game management were always going to be tested, and ultimately exposed, especially against a world-class manager like Emery. You could argue the coaching staff should have anticipated this. Three games in six days with an unchanged lineup was always going to be a big ask, especially against a tactician of Emery’s calibre. Players like Gordon and Willock are more than capable of starting. They bring energy and quality, and should have been trusted to rotate in from the start. However, Villa simply have a stronger squad right now, so I don’t want to be too critical. We’re pushing for Champions League places while bringing on players like Wilson and Targett, and that says a lot. If we do manage to secure a top-five finish, it’s clear we’ll need three or four top-quality additions this summer to really compete at that level. All in all, we move on. A full week to regroup, reset, and go again.

What’s the point of bringing on Wilson ffs. He literally can’t move, may as well be down to 10

Elliot is great player imo. Liverpool fans I know reckon he isn’t in favour under Slot because he doesn’t move around the pitch well enough. Great on the ball tho and offers the creativity we sometimes lack when teams sit in

The club certainly needs to improve in terms of moving players on. Howe has proven himself excellent at getting the best out of players, so there’s really no excuse for not addressing this. Murphy, while he's been outstanding this season, should ideally be sold this summer while his value is high. Imagine all promoted clubs would be keen on him.

I feel for Howe, as he’s been put in a tough position by the transfer window restrictions. However, I still can’t quite understand why he was willing to spend such a large portion of the budget on just one player (70m on Guehi). Surely he was aware that several players need to leave this summer, and many of them aren’t likely to bring in much money. Is it fair to say that Howe might be too loyal to certain players in the squad? Perhaps he needs to adopt a more ruthless approach when it comes to squad recruitment.

He’d certainly cause more problems than Wilson who looks like he’s towing a caravan. The amount of space, and against tiring legs, would have likely suited Osula.

Probably Preston

Big Joe will offer more work rate than Gordon so I’m not entirely fussed.

Absolute school boy stuff from Tino for their winner. Letting the ball bounce and allowing them to have possession is just so poor.

Surely that’ll be big Joe wide left for the final. Hopefully Miley start with tonali and Bruno

People keep rightly highlighting how Isak is a big miss but personally I think the problems at the back are gonna be more problematic moving forward

Thought Hall was the only positive. I still don’t know how you go up against Liverpool, they just look like they can change styles or up gears at any time. They really just strolled the whole game. I don’t think we keep the ball well enough and we look like we could concede goals every time teams counter us. I kinda expected this tonight but tbh I’ll be gutted if I see something similar in the final.