Aston Villa v PSG Pre-Match Thread

[PaulWinch again]

They weren’t great early in the comp but as far as I can see Kvaratskhelia has made a huge difference since coming in. Not only is he a brilliant player he also seems to have released them as a team.

[Baldy]

We are facing a brilliant team that's for sure but in the early stages of this competition they were less than impressive. Let's not talk ourselves out of this. With Villa Park rocking and with the talent in our squad we have a chance. Unai Emery is a fantastic coach and he's got form for pulling off results against the odds. If we fail we must go down fighting and they must leave Villa Park shaken to the core. Bring on the spirit of Agincourt!!!

This.

No better man to have next to you in the trenches than McGinn. Unai has to find a place for him in the starting eleven. Pretty football alone will not beat this lot.

[VillaTim]

BBC football page is vomit inducing today , talking of a PSG v "the gunners" semi final . Tossers .

[Rigadon]

It’s a growing possibility according to Phil McNulty.  Not sure how that’s even factually true. 

[Dave]

They weren’t great early in the comp but as far as I can see Kvaratskhelia has made a huge difference since coming in. Not only is he a brilliant player he also seems to have released them as a team.

They fixed their issues quite a few weeks before he came in - moving Dembele from the wing to the middle and not basing everything around a proper striker seems to be the thing that's done it.

Kvaratskhelia coming in obviously hasn't hurt though.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

They weren’t great early in the comp but as far as I can see Kvaratskhelia has made a huge difference since coming in. Not only is he a brilliant player he also seems to have released them as a team.

They fixed their issues quite a few weeks before he came in - moving Dembele from the wing to the middle and not basing everything around a proper striker seems to be the thing that's done it.

Kvaratskhelia coming in obviously hasn't hurt though.

Were they playing with a central striker before moving Dembele? Ramos hasn’t really played that much and Kolo Muani, before going on loan, was in and out as well wasn’t he, or was he just not really performing or scoring so I hadn’t noticed him?

[Dave]

They weren’t great early in the comp but as far as I can see Kvaratskhelia has made a huge difference since coming in. Not only is he a brilliant player he also seems to have released them as a team.

They fixed their issues quite a few weeks before he came in - moving Dembele from the wing to the middle and not basing everything around a proper striker seems to be the thing that's done it.

Kvaratskhelia coming in obviously hasn't hurt though.

Were they playing with a central striker before moving Dembele? Ramos hasn’t really played that much and Kolo Muani, before going on loan, was in and out as well wasn’t he, or was he just not really performing or scoring so I hadn’t noticed him?

In and out is about right. First half of the season they tried bits with Kolo Muani, they tried bits with Ramos, Asensio got some time in the attack, Kang-In got some time. Doue had only joined in the summer so they hadn't quite worked out how to use him either.

Then mid-December the Demebele / Doue / Barcola thing just clicked and they've done that ever since.

[wince]

No fear for this one at all or nerves. I think we wont have enough to beat PSG but they will hopefully arrive with the mindset of the tie being done. Need to open them up and create some space and think with a rocking VP on full volume we should at least get a good game.

If we go out? Think back 9 years and ask yourselves if we would have made the QF of the Champions League?

Passions will run high on the match thread I am sure but to everyone, get behind the team tonight as win or lose they have done us proud.

Now FTPMFs and UTV!

[ROBBO]

Midfield is the key, we have to get a grip early and I would put a stop to the slow shit coming out of defence.

[Dick Edwards]

BBC football page is vomit inducing today , talking of a PSG v "the gunners" semi final . Tossers .

I don’t know what the odds are on both Villa and Real winning through but I certainly think it’s far from a formality that Arsenal are already in the semi. Real have previous history at turning round ties at home.

[Sexual Ealing]

It's also fair to say that Asresal and PSG look well-placed to make it through their ties.

[Baldy]

Midfield is the key, we have to get a grip early and I would put a stop to the slow shit coming out of defence.

Spot on. We also need to get in the refs ear from the off. PSG will probably deploy every delaying tactic under the sun!!

[eamonn]

That graphic the other day showing PSG as having by far the highest wage-bill - this, despite them jettisoning their Galacticos for younger and cheaper lads. So they're still chucking cash at players that may not have been as proven as their forebears?

[Dave]

That graphic the other day showing PSG as having by far the highest wage-bill - this, despite them jettisoning their Galacticos for younger and cheaper lads. So they're still chucking cash at players that may not have been as proven as their forebears?

Isn't any information about their wage bill going to be from season 23/24, so not only will it still have £30m per year going to Mbappe, they've also got rid of Skriniar, Asensio, Navas, Sanches, Ugarte and about a dozen more pretty high earners all of whom have been shipped out either last summer or in January.

Not saying it'll be small now or anything, but any numbers out there at the moment are still going to be shaped by what they were rather than what they're trying to be now.

Edit - for example a quick Google suggests that they were paying Asensio around seven times as much as they are paying Doue.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Felt like it was our stronger midfielders that gave them the most trouble last week; Ramsey, Rogers and McGinn.