A Six-Pointer Against Norwich: A Different Approach Is Needed.

The defeat to Fulham last Saturday afternoon leaves Villa with just five points from eight matches, our worst start to a Premier League season ever.

In last week’s article I predicted a score draw, but as kick-off approached at Craven Cottage I was beginning to feel a tad more optimistic about things, a wave of positivity began to flow through me, and I was starting to believe that it was going to be our day. Instead, it turned out that I was to endure 90 minutes of football without us remotely looking like we were ever going to find our mojo. Our boys would have been there all day trying to find the back of the net. We’re desperate for goals, big time.

The most frustrating thing from our last two league outings is that Benteke has been on the end of two glorious chances and spurned them both. Chances that even the out-of-form Darren Bent would have gobbled up. If those two gaping opportunities had have been converted then the outcome at Spurs may of been very different, and we would have to snatched a hard-earned point on the road at Fulham.

This weekend we have a lunchtime kick-off at home to Paul Lambert’s former club, Norwich City. Despite it only being the end of October, make no mistake, this is a massive six-pointer. A point won’t really be sufficient for either side.

I’m certain that Chris Hughton’s men will be buzzing after beating Arsenal last weekend and in doing so landing their first Premier League win of the season. The Canaries will be on a mission to prove a point when facing their former boss for the first time since he made the move to the Midlands.

Changes ahead of Norwich City clash
My biggest concern against Fulham was our lack of width, with no natural wingers on the pitch until Ireland made way for N’Zogbia in the 66th minute. On a tight narrow pitch it’s important to have an outlet on either side, especially seeing as Fulham are strongest through the centre of the park.

I’m still unsure as to why Lambert has a reluctance to pair both Benteke and Bent upfront together. Whatever his reasons may be, the time to gamble is now. They may even bring the best out of each other. We live in hope.

Out on the wings I’d like to see two players that can get at their fullbacks: Albrighton on the right and Agbonlahor on the left. And through the middle I’d have El Ahmadi sitting, with Stephen Ireland in a wandering role.

Defensively, should Ciaran Clark be available then he should come in for Baker and I’d opt for Lichaj ahead of Joe Bennett. Against Fulham, young Bennett was made to look more like a schoolboy at times.

Calling out for Dunne. Why?
I’m not sure if these people are living in a parallel universe to you and I, but I happened to notice a small army of Villa fans on Twitter who believe that the return of Richard Dunne is imminent, and that with his wise head at the back our fortunes would change dramatically. Am I missing something here?

Excluding Southampton, defensively we haven’t really been that bad—particularly centrally. During the Euros, Dunne appeared overweight, and ever more sluggish than usual. His best days have well and truly been and gone, and the further he stays away from the starting XI the better.

As I touched upon above, through the middle we have been relatively solid. The goals that we have conceded have mainly come from mishaps on either side of the central defensive pairing. On the whole, Matthew Lowton has been solid, a good signing that will get better with age, but there have been a few times already where his top-flight inexperience has kicked us in the teeth.

The two that stick to mind is Shane Long’s goal for West Brom when he totally misread “the step” as we opted to play a ludicrously high line. And then against Fulham, his man, Chris Baird, found more space than Apollo 11. Fine examples of two goals that were perfectly avoidable.

Am I concerned?
I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t. I’m not one to press the panic button just two-and-a-half months into the season, but I just can’t see where or how our goals are going to come about.

Television pundits simply point the finger at our forwards, but then I look at how many genuine chances we’ve created in the first eight games of the season and it’s then I really do worry for us. Scoring goals is a collective responsibility. And at this moment in time we just aren’t creating enough opportunities.

As a whole I’m quite satisfied with our work rate, especially our closing down, but the magic isn’t quite there when we are on the ball. We either a) knock the ball about for a while before tediously surrendering possession, or b) get frustrated by the lack of options in front of us so opt to deftly lob the ball into our front two. Which never works.

Lambert really needs to try a different tack, strip it down, and master an approach that works for the players that he has at his disposal. I’m far from a sinister critic of Paul Lambert’s regime; I still genuinely believe in the bigger picture and his future vision. But it’s clear to see that at this moment in time we just aren’t good enough.

After all that, I’m going to remain upbeat for Saturday and predict a 1-0 win. Until next time, up the Villa!

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