One of the criticisms in Jack’s absence is along the lines of “Villa don’t have much to show for £250 million.” Which is a tad unfair, I think. We are still sitting 10th with just 10 to play. So, once again, a little perspective on where that money went, and why, to me, it’s nothing like what it seems.
It’s Friday, there’s football, and still no Jack Grealish. Does it matter against Newcastle? Who knows. But the barcodes are starting to get nervy, Steve Bruce is in the cross-hairs again, and Villa aren’t the same without their best player. However, they should be getting at least a little bit used to not having him.
Would be nice to pick up some more points while Jack is out, but as we’ve seen, no game is easy, and Wolves are certainly a far better side than Sheffield, even without Jimenez.
Struggling Sheffield tonight after a hard-fought victory over Leeds, which was basically a lesson in how to nullify a team that simply wants to run you into the ground. Get in their faces, get a lead, then dare them to show enough quality to break you down. Integral to that plan were runners. So we saw Ross Barkley dropped, along with Douglas Luiz. Jacob Ramsey and Marvelous Nakamba didn’t disappoint. So, naturally, there were calls for the two to start again. They will, and you can’t say they don’t deserve it.
Last weekend, Villa notched their third consecutive clean sheet against Arsenal for the first time in the club’s history, capping off a roller-coaster run of 6 games in 18 days following the squad’s return from quarantine. It was a good victory that left Mikel Arteta a bit nonsensical, even if it wasn’t one for the ages.
