West Ham vs Aston Villa: Will This Meeting Be Different?

The philosophy equals the points. The philosophy, the club mentality is the pathway. That’s Emery’s pre-match message: You establish the philosophy, and good things follow. That means he’s less concerned with Europe than he is with foundations. It’s also true that Unai will be looking at the run-in and thinking we should be in with a shout in all of them.

Manchester City vs Aston Villa: Mings a Big Miss

All sorts of things one could write, but I’ve run out of time, as per. But top of my head, Tyrone Mings’ absence is a potentially devastating bit of news on the day.

I didn’t really have a read on the game during the week…Yeah, it’s City away, so there’s the obvious. But I was wondering more about whether this City side was truly sputtering, what results elsewhere would mean, and whether they’d be like a cornered animal.

May not matter much, now.

Any Late Surprises Left for Villa?

Naturally, based on things said and the always relentless links in the press, many have expected a big influx of exciting signings this January. Especially as Unai started clearing house and talked about upgrading the squad. But, as is most often the case, useful January signings are usually elusive or very expensive. After all, no one really wants to lose good players mid-season unless they face letting them go for free in a few months’ time.