Leicester vs. Aston Villa: More Away Day Joy?
This is the sort of fixture that can say a lot or not much. Bottom line, it’s about whether looking up and digging in to keep pace or move higher mean more to Villa than do perilous straits to Leicester.
Aston Villa vs. Bournemouth: Banana Skin or Launching Point?
Bournemouth will understandably have a bit of desperation in them and Villa’s job is to keep that at arm’s length. Ideally, turn it against them. But three points would go a very long way for the Cherries given the brutal congestion below Villa’s 35 points. Three for Villa could see us finish the weekend above Chelsea, though that’s asking a lot of Everton.
Midweek Villa Grab-bag
For Villa, so much of what we admire in other sides is the range of passing, control, decision-making, and awareness. Villa just don’t have enough of it. We also don’t have enough aggression, pace, and perhaps stamina.
May sound like a lot, but after some clear-outs that set the stage for the summer, I can see us getting four, maybe five players that could transform the squad.
Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool: Great Game for the Neutrals
Villa returned to action following the midseason interruption and lost an entertaining, wide-open game against an on-song Liverpool. It was great viewing for everyone but Villans, though it really wasn’t that rough for us, either. There were encouraging signs.
Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa: Gerrard Sits Phil and Danny
Steven’s obviously still in search of his best XI, but at least he’s moving some pieces around. Sitting Coutinho and Ings may not seem ballsy to Villans, but that’s a lot of money on the bench (figuratively, anyway). It’s also a lot of money coming on, even if it doesn’t seem like it.