It was a sad exit for England. Not because the team underachieved, but because they were just sad. It’s not Hodgson’s fault. It’s England’s fault. You want a better football team, you have to do something about it, like developing better players. It’s not just going to happen by itself. Under the cosh for most of the game, England’s lack of belief made itself evident when they refused to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the penalty shootout.

England looked every bit like Villa, unable to hold onto the ball, show composure under pressure, pick a pass and get the ball back quickly. Movement on and off the ball was lacking.

What’s this got to do with Paul Lambert? Well, he’s basically faced with the same challenge as Roy Hodgson: a largely British squad, lacking quality in key areas. Or is he?

Lambert’s Advantage

Unlike England, he can shop globally for talent. Which makes his task somewhat easier. But it’s still not easy. For one thing, there are limited, but not unreasonable transfer funds. For another, we still have dead wood on the books we may not be able to get rid of. But he does have some quality in Stephen Ireland and Jean II Makoun. Do these players fit? We’ll soon see what Lambert thinks. But they’re every bit as good if not better than what England were fielding centrally.

Now of course, there’s optimism surrounding the new appointment. Darren Bent is saying he’s now 100% fit and that Villa could have a “really, really good” season, with one or two acquisitions along with the quality in the youth ranks.

And Barry Bannan is pledging to give it his all in a “make or break season”.

Now, I don’t think for a minute that Bent is some kind of oracle. But I was interested in his comments regarding Stephen Ireland:

“As a striker, you want somebody like Stevie picking out your runs and playing passes to give you more chances…You’ve got to play to play Stevie Ireland four or five games in that position [the hole] and go from there…For me, he’s the best footballer in the squad, and if you want to see the best Stephen Ireland and get the best out of him you need to be playing him.”

Which seems to say that Barry Bannan is out of luck. As well he should be.

I like Barry Bannan; he’s combative and fiesty. But the upside to his game is nowhere near the same as Stephen Ireland’s.

The Long Ball Problem

As Matt pointed out nicely yesterday, Villa have been lumping balls to forwards who are not holdup men and it’s not working. So, one problem is lumping (ie, randomly hitting the ball upfield) because you’re 1) uncomfortable on the ball when challenged and 2) uncomfortable making and playing in space, which is to say, uncomfortable on the ball.

The complementary problem is a lack of holdup players who could make something out of the lumping (which is why, to everyone’s distress, Heskey was still a regular inclusion until the end of last season). By deduction, you might assume the fundamental problem is not being able to play it through the midfield centrally. Which is why Villa recently looked most dangerous counterattacking with pacey outlets like wingers Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. Go wide, go fast, put it in the box. Forget the center.

The solution is to abandon lumping up random long balls to non-existent holdup players. In other words, use your central midfielders (because Villa no longer have true, dangerous wide players like Young and Downing). Which seems to be what Bent thinks is in his best interests. And when a rather selfish striker is taking pains to point out the tactics he thinks will net him success, we ought to listen just a bit.

That’s not to say Darren Bent is in charge. But he is making a case for keeping Ireland and using him, because he thinks it will net him goals.

The Bannan Problem

Barry Bannan is never going to be Stephen Ireland’s equal in talent. And he’s not going to be as influential or disruptive as Charles N’Zogbia has been and could be. Which means Bannan is really third choice. I’m not saying anyone’s looking at N’Zogbia as a hole player, but I’d rather have him there than Bannan if it’s not going to be Stephen Ireland.

Now, if Bannan can make a case for being number one, then great. But it’s not going to happen if the better players ahead of him realize their potential. If Villa are reduced to Bannan being first choice in the hole over Ireland or N’Zogbia, it’s not going to be a “really, really good season.”

Why not Bannan? He’s not fast enough, big enough, or good enough on the ball to make up for not being fast or big or good on the ball. Sure, Xavi and Iniesta aren’t big. But they’re much, much better than Bannan on the ball: it’s tied to their feet. And they play at pace, with their heads up, in a system where they’re supported and have options, and everyone is looking to play one- or two-touch football.

Finding The Right Pieces

In other words, I’m not surprised Villa have now been linked to a defensive midfielder, which would be key in helping Jean II Makoun making his impact felt, and crucial regardless of whether Makoun is in Lambert’s plans.

So this raises questions about Gary Gardner, Fabian Delph and, to a lesser extent, Ciaran Clark and Chris Herd. Clark, as a CB, and Herd as FB might be able to make their cases elsewhere. Only Gardner and Delph, and maybe Bannan, are trying to lay claim to a central spot ostensibly supporting Ireland (as the squad now stands) and perhaps Makoun.

As I’ve said before, I’ve no idea what Lambert thinks of Ireland’s cost-benefit ratio, never mind Makoun’s. But it really is the central question he faces.

We all know the back four are a shambles. Fixing that is a given, if possible. But do you do that with an eye toward building around Stephen Ireland? And do you also include Makoun? As probably the two best technical players in the side, I would say you do. But only if you can put a back four and a DM behind them that can play in space, press high, and free them to play their games. Is Gardner the answer at DM? Delph?

If it were me (and given that I’m not privy to the realistic options Lambert has), I’d have Ireland in the hole, Bent up front, Holman (by default) on one side in the anchored and non-roaming role, and N’Zogbia on the other, with a license to roam. Which means Charles needs a really solid FB behind him. Is that Lichaj or Herd or Poulsen or “fill in the blank”?

I’d have Makoun behind Ireland, which means we really need a quality DM who can cover ground, break things up, win balls, and make space and time for a simple, tidy pass. If we can’t change our CB pairing, this is even more important. They need an outlet to keep them from lumping. And we need our keeper to stop lumping it upfield, as well.

You might have noticed I’m not planning on a big role for Marc Albrighton. Perhaps he’ll surprise and make a case for being one of the wingers. But after last season, I’m not betting on it.

Now that England are out and the Euros are coming to a close, we’ll soon see what Lambert thinks.

In the meantime, what do you think?

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