When this manager was hired this was what we all feared. Dire, unwatchable football. Three shots is inexcusable against any opponent. If by some miracle or in a parallel universe Aston Villa managed to qualify for the Champions League and played at the Camp Nou three shots would’ve been a poor effort. The manager named a defensive XI that couldn’t close down anybody or win a ball.
Our lads were petrified to play against a club that by measure of history and resources is of comparable size. Villa only managed 30% possession which is an indictment of the performance of the players, the squad selection, and the tactics. Even Stoke on their worst day of playing anti-football could not produce a worse result. Tottenham are undoubtedly superior to us at the moment and figure to be competing to return to the Champions League. What they are not are world beaters who warranted such a defensive approach.
Looking at the 1st XI it is almost impossible to imagine any scenario where those 10 outfield players could actually score a goal. If the idea was to defend and counter having pacey wingers as an outlet might have been a good idea. Instead the manager played a fullback and target man on the wings. We all know that Dunne and Collins are only capable of playing five yard passes or aimlessly hoofing the ball down the field making any buildup from the back problematic. Neither Chris Herd or Stiliyan Petrov can be counted on to add any creativity from the middle of the pitch. This XI couldn’t even be expected to score on a set piece since the manager didn’t name anybody capable of delivering a quality ball.
If somebody told me our squad was pulled out of a hat or selected by a drunk, blind man throwing darts that would make more sense than the notion that the manager thought the team he sent out had any chance of winning. Even more baffling is the manager’s fixation with Alan Hutton. He has been awful in every way since his arrival. He can’t defend and commits rash challenge after rash challenge. Charles N’Zogbia, who has also struggled to adapt to life at Villa Park was benched for less.
If the manager was that concerned about Gareth Bale he could’ve started Carlos Cuellar at right-back and Chris Herd on the wing. Herd is a utility player would give the club more going forward. The spot he vacates in the center of the park could’ve been filled by Fabian Delph. That team would have more pace and a higher work-rate. The midfield still likely would have been overrun, but at least they would’ve made life a little more difficult for Spurs. Marc Albrighton scored for the reserves and didn’t even make the bench.
The less I say about Emile Heskey the better. I don’t have as much disdain for him as some commenters do here, but we can all agree that with any luck he will go back to Leicester in January. Such a move would be like taking away a child’s favorite toy, but the toy has lead paint that is flaking. The child will be upset but better off in the end.
This is a sorry state of affairs indeed. I tried to give the manager a chance. I hoped that he would be pragmatic enough to play to the strengths of the squad. As Randy Lerner indicated he isn’t going anywhere and our only hope in the short to medium term is for this manager to get it right. If Monday was any indication there is very little chance of that happening.
In contrast the Villa U-19’s have advanced to the knockout round of the Next Gen competition. They have done so playing the kind of fluid, attacking football that the senior squad can barely muster at home against relegation fodder. The disillusioned Villa supports would do well to watch them. It’s been too long since anybody in claret and blue has captured the imagination of the supporters.
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