No one knows how Villa will approach the match. If it were me, I’d probably lean toward playing this one in two phases, perhaps by starting 4-5-1, trying to blunt Chelsea, then look to get more attacking in the second. But that’s me.
The question is whether Smith will want to go all in for grabbing the first, or keep his powder dry, go for 0-0 as long as possible, and then throw on more firepower? Not at all sure he’ll want to start out with a combination that’s barely played together against such a strong side, however much he might want to see them all together.
Have Villa done enough to replace Grealish and keep the five-year plan? Short answer, “Yes, probably.” With more business, it could easily be “Yes, no question.” Either way, a lot of it hinges on how Danny Ings changes the way Villa play.
So Jack is gone from Villa Park and our hearts. However much we thought he might’ve been different, in the end Villans got another dose of Super League footballing reality. But that’s not going to be the case much longer. Compass still have their eyes on the prize, and if it just got a little […]
Me, I generally go with “no news is good news,” but at this point, it seems as if the “good news” will be something beyond Villa’s control. If Jack has decided to say, I’d think there’d have been an announcement and the usual photos already.
