Stottie

I thought it was pretty even up to the second Villa goal, which felt like weary capitulation. In tight games you have to take your chances, and we didn't today. We also worked the ball into crossing positions, and had half a dozen corners, but much of our delivery was poor.

Tight game. We can't be doing that bad if their MoM is the keeper. Great hit for their goal but they also worked the space well. Their other big chance was a mistake from us, not some amazing bit of footballing dominance from them. They scored in the period when they were on top, a fine habit to have. We didn't when we were on top. It's there for us if we can find some edge. Mostly poor deliveries from us so far, but young Lewis was very close with that one from Gordon. Got to keep plugging away. Time for (not Bruno) to step up.

Shame about Bruno but the others should be up for it. If its tight and we're struggling for creativity, time to try Wissa and Wolte I feel. However we approach this, it hope its with that level of positive intent.

Villa have been slow starters in games this season, and we've been the opposite. We've not conceded in the first half hour of home games, and only twice away from home in the league. If Bruno doesn't play, time for someone else to step up.

Harvey Barnes has six and six assists versus Villa, but five of the goals were for Leicester. I think Brummie might have said it, but they see him as a bogey player for them.

It was "three for 150M" last week. Give it time, give the lads a chance, and we might see it down to 1 for 50M. (I'm quite happy to consolidate myself, and don't expect much improvement until new stadium, more yoof coming through, more sponsorship, more money off Europe from building coefficient etc. Give it time and the Man City legal team might go nuclear and outgun the league over restrictions on trade, etc.)

30 goals and assists in his final two seasons at Leicester as well. Far more assists than with us (Vardy?). Note also that Leicester were relegated in his final season there. 13 goals and an assist for a relegated team will be up there with the best in Premier League era. Just for fun and to wind some people up, but filtering Sadio Mane at Liverpool on the left wing, all comps, is 80 goals 33 assists in 15750 minutes, equivalent to 175 complete games. I'm not suggesting for one second that Barnes is the same as peak Mane (I think he'd be automatic starter if he were!), only that 1 in 2 from the wing is very good and you'll have to use Mane level players to get anywhere near. Barnes managing it for an extended period should get a lot more love and respect than it does.

Matterface with that "two in twelve games" stat wanted a good slap. That includes seven sub appearances of 23 minutes or less. His previous CL game had been 1 minute long.

26 goals, zero pens, in 53.5 games' worth of minutes in all comps for us. Joint second top for non-penalty goals in the CL this year.

Quite optimistic about this. PSV seem to blow very hot or cold in this year's CL, so I hope the good version doesn't turn up.

The club have washed their hands of him, to avoid the norovirus.

If they don't get them, I sense relegation. They'll go crash down the league Andropov.

Remember folks, it's one thing to say others should start ahead of Elanga due to poor form and another to write him off completely. Woltemade plus two pacy wingers in Gordon and Elanga should work much better than it has. Maybe its a combination of poor form, injury woes at full back, and the system being new to us. Woltemade is a very different player to Isak.

I'm gutted that Guehi is signing for City after the first leg, which I believe cupties him for the second one. If he scored two own goals against us again like last season, it would level the tie. Quick! Some change the rules!

Glasner's a legend for this. Screwed both that twat of a part owner and the Scousers.

Disappointing so far, despite the goals scored. I'm more disappointed by him not getting shots on target (42% in four seasons at Brentford) than the linkup play, but yeah, he's probably snatching at them. Its also still a small sample.

He forced three saves from Donnarumma in the league game. Yes, he could have done better, but it was only one half chance. Not enough for sweeping statements on his abilty. All Haarland managed today was to stand in an offside position and get a goal disallowed.

Good shouts. For me it would be Riviere.

Great effort. Haarland didn't have a sniff. Would have preferred Wolte from the start after he terrorized them in the league game, but the bloody FA Cup game gave him 120 mins + pens. Wissa had that decent header, but his linkup play was poor. Elanga did nowt yet again. Everyone else did great I thought, finishing aside. Joelinton is definitely back. Didn't get the run of the ball. 10 vs. 11 when they scored the first. The offside goal was offside, so no need to be apologetic for it not counting. The only issue was why VAR took forever when he's clearly ahead of Pope. It was not a goal. Their second was a brilliant move, but we looked very tired by then.

Got away with one here, but he is offside and holding Thiaw. The current trend with set pieces is to hold and jostle, but some of it is fouling that is done because you usually don't get called up on it.

Decent half. A bit ropey when Doku was lively for five minutes, but that's all it was. Shame about the big chance for Wissa. We need to work Trafford and put more pressure on him. Set pieces, along with Wissa were our worst performer. Gordon's man is on a yellow, so we need to pressure him too. Hope the Murphy one is not too bad.

Paqueta on form is a Man City player. He's obviously damaged goods, big issues with temperament, but is very useful on his day. A match winner. People said similar things about Thielemans, but he turned it around at Villa. At 30 odd mill a definite Moneyball signing, like Xhaka to the mackems but much younger. West Ham are a shitshow, and there are plenty of examples of players blossoming once out of the shitshow (Scotty McT etc). Under Eddie and his mate Bruno as captain, the lad could have it in him.

We've won five of our last six with that ref. One was the Spurs Carabao game where Schar scored from the corner when the guy had his boot off or whatever they were complaining about. Some defeats going further back, but also the 1-0 win against Man City in the Carabao in 23/24 It's an omen! https://www.transfermarkt.co.in/chris-kavanagh/bilanzdetail/schiedsrichter/6345/saison_id/0/wettbewerb_id//funktion/1/land_id/0/heim_gast//verein_id/762/plus/1

If Miley is playing right back we need a midfielder. Its possibly easier to buy a midfielder than to buy a right back who'll come in and do as well as Miley has been. It also gives Miley time on the pitch that we weren't able to give to Anderson.

Dunno about wages, all-round contribution, and injury resistance but the guy's been a monster for Villa in terms of goals per minute played. 7 and an assist in just over 10 league games' worth of minutes. 3 in Europa too.