Aston Villa v Bournemouth Post Match Thread

[TonyD]

Ollie was unplayable today.
Today he went up another notch.
£120m. 

[TonyD]

Can you just imagine how good we are going to be next season with the injured players back and a couple of more new signings. 

[rob_bridge]

Interesting we've not missed Luiz at all , in fact looked better .

Yes, probably a coincidence, but we have won both games he's missed with conviction and style, and Tielemans has been really good in both.

Rogers was excellent and he's surprised me with his rapid progression so far.

I thoughtt Tielemans was excellent today 2nd half.

[sid1964]

We do need a couple of top class signings, it will be interesting to see where Unai thinks that we need to strengthen the team, also there will be players leaving us in the summer

The current injured players - both Buendia and Mings will be good squad players, and may be able to come on to help us later in games, if we are struggling.

Yesterday, some of our passing was superb, although it did take us 30 mins to get into our stride - Watkins was MOTM although both Tielemans and Rogers were both excellent.

[rob_bridge]

I liked Rogers taking on players in the middle.of the park. When did we last have someone who did that?

[London Villan]

Defensive midfielder and rightback are essential. Other than that it will be squad rotation ins and outs.

[Deano's Mullet]

I love the fact we've hit 70 +.league goals again, the only time we've done that in the top flight in my time was the second O'Neill year. Typically over the years  we've usually only managed on average between mid 40s to mid 50s numbers, even in 90 and 93 we weren't a hugely prolific side. I'm talking top flight only.

[Ian.]

I didn’t realise how in form Bournemouth were in prior to yesterday. I heard during the game that their form since November is as good as the teams in the top five.

[SaddVillan]

From The Athletic - Jacob Tanswell  makes some really good points.

RELENTLESS ASTON VILLA ARE BEING ROARED TO THE FINISH LINE BY A WONDERFUL CROWD

“We shall not be moved!” echoed around Villa Park.

After 132 nights in the Premier League’s top four for Aston Villa, the finish line is in view.

Those Villa supporters have hard evidence that, after a potentially definitive eight days resulting in two league wins and progress into a European semi-final, their team have the durability to qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League.

Barriers leading into the forecourt made a pathway for the players and music played from the adjacent stage, with Crazy Train, written and performed by Birmingham’s own Ozzy Osbourne, on repeat.

Flags and scarves were handed out to those who stood close to those barriers, awaiting the players. They arrived to plumes of blue smoke, children on parents’ shoulders and the catalogue of songs being sung for most in the squad. Crazy Train stayed in the background, an appropriate song title given where Villa found themselves: on a journey that nobody wants to get off.

“We arrived here and the supporters were waiting for us,” said Emery. “They helped us. We transmitted it on the pitch.”

In Villa’s words, the plan was to give “players a pre-match boost” — Thursday’s exertions in northern France, the lack of preparation time for this game and the natural wear and tear that had taken hold were sensed to be a threat.

According to Emery, players had one “so, so quiet” training session before Bournemouth, at a later scheduled time on Saturday morning to allow them a lie-in. Friday, having got back late from Lille the night before, had simply been a recovery day. “Most of the preparation was done at the team hotel yesterday evening (Saturday) with meetings,” said Emery.

“The key is getting used to (the) Thursday-Sunday (schedule that comes with UEFA’s second- and third-tier club competitions),” added McGinn. “The manager has got a complete no-excuse strategy. We’ve got a lot of injuries. A lot of players carrying knocks — you see Leon (Bailey) there, heavily strapped up.”

Multiple players are indeed pushing through the pain barrier — Bailey has an issue with his left knee, McGinn himself routinely tries to stretch out his right calf and Pau Torres wore strapping high up on both thighs. Still, in a testament to their robustness, the only two changes Emery made from Thursday were enforced; Douglas Luiz remained suspended domestically and Nicolo Zaniolo was injured against Lille and had to come off before half-time.

In an era where Premier League managers, boasting unimaginable riches, squad depth and experience in European competitions, moan about the schedule and inevitably end up having things their own way, Emery prefers to just get on with it.

From a stylistic viewpoint, Emery knew Bournemouth would require Villa to bank on their resolve.

Andoni Iraola’s side are based on high-pressing and man-marking schemes, set traps out of possession that teams, without precision in their passing, walk into and arrived fresh from a full week without a game. “When you’re tired, a team you don’t want to play is Bournemouth,” said McGinn, citing their man-marking system being comparable to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United sides of the recent past.

Bournemouth took the lead from the spot just past the half-hour after Matty Cash brought down Milos Kerkez, yet the initial danger came when Moussa Diaby got nudged off the ball by centre-back Marcos Senesi, a by-product of the visitors’ man-marking scheme that involves following opposing attackers into deep areas.

Villa, though, have built an inherent toughness and an ability to ride moments of pressure while still thinking clearly. Through Saturday’s light training session and video meetings, Emery had crafted a plan to exploit Bournemouth’s shortcomings.

McGinn explained that Emery wanted his players to start deeper, attempting to draw Bournemouth’s players higher, making space for a pacy front line of Bailey, Diaby and Ollie Watkins, all in one-v-ones, to exploit.

The equaliser came on transition, with Villa regaining the ball deep in their half and five Bournemouth players caught ahead of play. It was Bailey, shortly after his patched-up left knee was clattered into, who struck a whipped, outside-of-the-foot pass for Morgan Rogers, the 21-year-old winter-window signing cutting inside, scoring and providing another timely reminder of his precociousness.

McGinn, all the while, was playing chest pointed to the floor, backside protruding and charging around. He would lean his body into challenges, run without stopping and scream at team-mates. At the break, the Scot exchanged words with his new midfield partner Youri Tielemans, in apparent disbelief that the Belgium international had not played a cross into the box with seconds left until the interval.

Tielemans argued he did not want to risk Villa being stung on the counter. It was a matter swiftly squashed, yet pointed to further proof of sharpened minds.

After the break, Emiliano Martinez noted the late-afternoon sun was in the eyes of his goalkeeping counterpart Neto. Before one inswinging corner, he ran over to set-piece coach Austin MacPhee to advise that deliveries should be directed towards the Brazilian, with Villa players putting pressure on him.

Villa’s second half was among their best of the season.

Other wins have been more notable, but this was a demonstration of steeliness and know-how.

Emery did not make his first substitution until the 87th minute, a sign of how Villa — against the expected odds — had overpowered their opponents as the game wore on.

Perhaps it should not have been a surprise. In the 10 matches that have directly followed a European fixture since qualifying for the group stage in August, Villa have only lost once. In Emery’s mind, the decision whether to prioritise chasing a top-four finish and the Champions League spot that brings or winning a trophy is non-existent. In his eyes, they can do both.

It was a 20th Premier League victory, Villa’s most in a single season since the competition’s 1992-93 inaugural year.

Players have now been given two days off and some, including McGinn, will head for the golf course to decompress.

They will reconvene later in the week to prepare for Saturday night’s visit of Chelsea, with the finish line in sight.



The stuff about Unsi wanting to get the team geed up by the crowd as they arrived at the ground, and his tactical tweaks demonstrate to me that he's a bloody genius.

He admitted he got it wrong against Brentford and then leads/coaches/cajoles the team to wins at Arsenal, Lille and yesterday.

[Risso]

I thoughtt Tielemans was excellent today 2nd half.

I tought he was excellent, possibly his best game for us. Breaking up play, generally getting himself around the pitch, and some lovely skill at times.

[Ian.]

Is it funny how our slight dip in form coincides with the break from the Conference cup over December and January.

[cdward]

Good game. It was fairly even in the first half, second half we blew them away.
They are a good side, Kluivert looks a good player.
Watkins was unplayable, best i've seen him and he didn't even score. Rogers excellent game, what a prospect. Diaby and Bailey both looked confident.
Overall defence played well, midfield too, only gripe was Matty Cash being reckless. He knew straight away it was a bad mistake, and afterwards i thought he was playing hard to put it right.
Is that the first penalty we've conceded this season? can't think of any others.
Overall good game, great result. Nice to come from behind to get the win. The third goal made it a lot more enjoyable. Bournemouth are actually a decent side. We open up a points gap ahead of Spurs and the pressure is on them to catch us up.
What a great week.
UTV

[Mister E]

I thought we were pretty comfortable all through that, their goal was completely out of the blue and I never felt we wouldn't come back.

Agreed, and yet MOTD's coverage suggested that B'mouth were well on top and that Rogers' goal came out of the blue. Tsk.

[Mister E]

Only saw highlights on motd but a great result. Rogers looks a hell of a buy, sorry for doubting you on this one Emery 😂

The highlights definitely give B'mouth false equivalence.

[Mister E]

Interesting we've not missed Luiz at all , in fact looked better .

Yes, probably a coincidence, but we have won both games he's missed with conviction and style, and Tielemans has been really good in both.
Rogers was excellent and he's surprised me with his rapid progression so far.

I thoughtt Tielemans was excellent today 2nd half.

The McGinn-Tielemans axis has been excellent ... Luiz can be guilty of slowing the game down too much; but a think all three are brilliant for us.