Suffice to say, the holidays haven’t been kind in footballing terms: 0-12 on aggregate. In just two matches.
Tottenham had the better of the early going (and everything else, really), and with Villa playing the 3-5-1-1, while we didn’t threaten much, we weren’t terribly exposed, either, all things considered. Guzan made a couple of his by now customary brilliant saves to keep us from going behind.
Then Nathan Baker pulled a hamstring and had to leave before the half, and Paul Lambert brought on Stephen Ireland. The change in tactics was clear, and basically forced. Lambert doubled down by bringing Albrighton on to start the second.
Villa started the second half much more brightly, and for a neutral it looked like an entertaining game was in the offing, with Villa finally asking some questions. Ireland clearly has the best vision in the side, and consistently makes things happen quickly. He and Christian Benteke almost connected twice in short order.
But, as I feared when the game did open up, Spurs scored. And then scored again, and that was pretty much it. And we certainly helped them.
I stopped watching at 2-0 in a vain attempt to change our luck. (If, for example, I tune it late and Villa are up 1-0, I barely have time to register it before an equalizer flies in.) Hey, I watched all eight Chelsea goals, and that didn’t help anything. But obviously this tactical switch on my part didn’t work, either. So, I’ll go back and watch the rest to see exactly what happened down the stretch. I have a feeling I don’t really need to, but I will anyway.
Off the top of my head, a couple things seemed apparent. Both Chelsea and Spurs seemed to really want to get after our youngsters and put us under pressure, and it worked. They also both consistently attacked our right flank. It was probably unfortunate that it was Baker rather than Herd who went off, but Herd did have a couple important tackles (thinking here of Herd and Clark partnering in a traditional back four).
Whether the three-CB formation has really been a tactical preference instead of a “necessity” born of Vlaar’s absence is hard to say. However, I’m thinking that while we were getting some results, the lack of experience and, in some places, quality at the back has been exposed by very fluid sides with lots of attacking options.
Needless to say, I’m hoping Vlaar is near to returning. As for the rest of it, well, I’ll digest a bit, watch a replay, and see how I feel after.
As for everyone else, well, let us know what you think.
The Author
