After a tough set of fixtures to open their return to the top flight, Southampton boss Nigel Adkins has come out and said that his side must beat Villa after four consecutive losses have found the Saints sitting squarely at the bottom of the table with nothing to show for their efforts.
And most would admit Southampton have been game in going up against United and City only to lose 3-2 each time, before a less glorious defeat at the hands of Wigan prior to this last weekend’s 6-1 debacle against Arsenal.
So, yes, one can understand Adkins saying they must win. And while we’re all quite high on Villa at the moment, it’s probably going to be a tough game as a result. I’ve seen 2-1 Villa as the most likely scoreline, and I can’t say I disagree.
What Are They Playing For?
One of the under-appreciated elements of a season is exactly when it is you play certain teams. Are they desperate? Are they complacent? Is there an injury crisis, new manager, players returning/debuting?
All of these things can make various matches harder or easier than they seem on paper. I’d rather play City or United just before or after a Champions League game when they’re either distracted, tired, resting players, or the like.
No guarantees, mind you, but it can factor in. A plucky and desperate Southampton side at home may simply want and need to win more than Villa.
For Villa, this game will show whether we can keep up the intensity and doggedness that have served us well against Newcastle and Swansea. We’re not going to set the world on fire every time out, but right now consistency of effort is one thing we can hopefully manage, and a let-down this early shouldn’t happen. The players will want another three points, I’m thinking. What we see will also serve to indicate whether there really is a different sort of fitness at Villa to sustain that sort of effort week-in, week-out. We’d had time off after Newcastle for many players.
With new players still waiting to impress, one assumes the competition for places will keep everyone hungry and motivated. But Southampton should be equally motivated, and one expects them to work just as hard. I’ve not seen much of them, but obviously a key will be stopping the predictable way Southampton like to utilize Rickie Lambert. I would imagine Concrete Ron is up to this.
Gaston Ramirez will add an interesting touch of the unknown.
Right now, I’ve not got a feeling about how Lambert’s going to line up, but imagine many of you will have your preferences at the ready.
Hutton Loan?
Yes, please. Anything to help him find a new home. The player’s not lazy, he wants to play, so one hopes this works out for both him and the club.
He’s No Heskey
For one, he hasn’t fallen over yet. And he scored. So Paul Lambert was justifiably enthused about Benteke’s debut, where he really was basically unplayable. Whether that was just the excitement, the unknown quantity, the stage of the game, or the player’s simple quality…Well, again, we’ll soon see.
But as Lambert pointed out, we’ve got a hold-up man now with more in his locker than either Carew or Heskey. And he’s just 21.
Which makes all of us again wonder about Delfouneso, sitting the bench at Blackpool at the same age, while Benteke simply appears and asserts himself from the off. And of course, Gabby’s future, as we’ve discussed, looks very much in doubt.
Depth Over Marquee Signings
And if there were any remaining doubt about Lambert’s transfer policy, he’s made it clear that Villa simply had too many holes to plug to spend his £20m on one or two players.
We needed athleticism, youth, depth, competition, coachable players and hunger. And right now, it’s looking like £20m very well spent as that’s what we seem to have got. Moreover, with KEA, Vlaar and Benteke, we got more.
Lowton, who’s been quietly effective so far, burst out and showed some real quality. The Guzan move is paying off handsomely to date. Bennett and Westwood? Here’s to hoping they continue to prove out Lambert’s streak of astute buys.
Final Thought
With the excellent tactical discussion yesterday, I was reminded of the one thing that can undo any team: giving the ball away cheaply while mounting an attack at pace and the team is stretched.
You can give the ball away in a number of relatively harmless ways (goal kicks, throw-ins, and the like). But the one type of turnover that can really cost is the one where an errant pass sets up a break the other way. Villa were a bit sloppy at times against Swansea, and preventing too many breaks will be a key in turning the all the hard work the players are producing into points.
And while the outside channels are going to often be there given our narrow formation and use of the fullbacks for width, I’d rather have the danger outside, as Lambert seems to prefer, given that Vlaar is showing a good reading of the game and Guzan is playing aggressively. The sort of effort Holman is putting in is invaluable in minimizing this threat.
Over to you.
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