Roy, just play the best players

I was happy enough with England's performance against Russia but I only thought we looked right after Dier scored the opener. I finally saw a use for Sterling.

Lallana did exactly what a forward should do in 433. Pass early, keep the ball moving at your feet unless there's an overlap, draw defenders to create space, try one two's and make sure the pace of play is purposeful. He may not be a star but he played his part and allowed Walker and Kane to stick to useful positions.

Sterling however slowed the play, allowed defenders to settle, waited for tackles, and caused players to recheck runs/come for the pass. I'll keep the head shaking to a minimum.

When I compare other nations players I'm absolutely baffled why someone like Townsend or Albrighton were not embraced as tactical weapons. Euro 2016 will be won and lost though concentration. Either a defender giving himself a moment to rest or an attacker who doesn't take a chance. You need aware players who create chances, good or bad.

However there's no opportunity for change, and I'm not all that disappointed. Though Roy can gain balance, even if it's only playing to the teams natural abilities. 

Therefore I don't think 433 is a tactic England can rely upon. We must play narrow and use our full-backs. We may lack some natural technicians but we have intelligent energetic team players, which frustratingly need some time to bed.
Kane next to Sterling and Lallana forced a false 9 approach, but England need a striker up at all times because Rooney doesn't score from distance any more. Similarly Walker and Rose need two strikers to aim at because they're not precision crosser's.

The balance is still wrong and it will require the best players to play. Milner for example had to start against Russia because Kane would've spent more time on the front foot.
With two tough games to go and the Welsh only needing a draw we need to pray that Sterling's other use is making a Championship player feel inadequate. 

My current Euro 2016 England Squad

Watching England beat Germany reminded me why I love International football; great managers.

International football is as much about the manager as the player, not just for players picked but for tactics employed.

In both these departments England have struggled, which due to a dearth of top talent over the last decade should be a major concern. Sometimes I blame the players, the Lampard/Gerrard debate is a perfect example, but on many occasions I lose my passion for International tournaments the moment the England squad is announced. I, you, we all know what England we're getting.

However, watching England in the second half against Germany, made me look at Hodgson in a different light, had he achieved a tactical shape and balance befitting of an International team?

As Vardy netted it was clear a tactical understanding was on show. With no natural width it was down to strikers moving defenders, midfielder's holding possession and full backs to run into space.

Qualities the goal creating players have a natural fondness for. Clyne makes runs and crosses, Barkley looks to change the direction of play past the centre circle and Vardy is always on the move, especially in the box.

For the first time in many years I'm genuinely excited about England's balance, but I wonder, is this Roy's doing, or circumstance?

The following is a list of players I feel fit the balance of play, players who in my mind should go to the Euros.

Goalkeepers

Hart - Overrated but still highly rated.

Butland - Great season, deserves a chance.

Forster - Every team needs a huge keeper.

Central defence

Smalling - Wanders, can be headless but is the most consistent defender we have. Having a good year and appears more comfortable leading at the back.

Cahill - Not having a good year but we're not blessed at the back and he does have ability, suspect positioning.

Stones - When he adopts a more composed attitude in the box he'll be a real asset. That's up to him. Many ball hungry defenders started off making mistakes, the best ironed them out.

Full backs

Rose - Having a great year and while he isn't the best defensively, both in the tackle and position wise he will works well with Alli, Dier and Kane; that's invaluable.

Clyne - Same as Rose but perhaps a little more composed and weathered.

Walker - Exactly the same as Rose. Best of an average bunch but with more pace than the average gazelle.

Seeing as England do not have wide crossing players, or are unwilling to select them we need energetic full backs to support in positions down down the line. Without that tactic the opposition will be able to settle into defensive positions.

Midfield

Dier - Solid, knows to cover the positions of Rose and Alli. Can play centre back or in either full back position. Growing in confidence too; great to have a defensive midfielder.

Alli - Proper box to box midfielder, can pass, shoot, dribble and more importantly select the right option or not dwell on a decision. Will make mistakes but also create chances.

Barkley - He can play a more midfield based role but is better pushed a little higher as he always wants to be involved. A perfect option when you have full backs bombing on or attackers making runs. Advanced role looks to be Rooney's so it'll be interesting to see how Roy chooses to use him.

Milner - No Milner, no party. I think the time is running out on this legend but he's still solid in every position and makes good decisions. An invaluable trait in the final minutes of games and ones where others are losing their heads.

Attack

Kane - A proper centre forward who makes/finishes his own chances and understands the value of team play. A massively valuable asset for England because his game is versatile by nature.

Vardy - You're told your new club striker is lightning quick, loves scoring, makes countless runs, gives 100% and is humble. What't not to love. Tactically a perfect foil for Kane.

Rooney - If fit he has to go despite not being the Rooney of old. He will finally play in his favoured position with strikers ahead who love to be busy and not overtly selfish. Rooney with time? Yes please. Years of this man wasted out wide with an opportunity to prove himself in the middle. A brilliant passer and creator who is still a great player. The pressure would be off him this tournament; he has a part to play (one last time) and that shouldn't be overlooked.

Welbeck - An enthusiastic player with speckles of quality. Not my favourite but in tight games you need a goal scorer and he loves international football. Admittedly he scores freely against minnows but also gets winners against all-comers at every level. Crouch was wasted when we needed something different, Welbeck probably shouldn't be.

These are my certainties, players who would naturally complement each other and allow us to hold the ball centrally.

My attacking worry has always been out wide, Walcott and Sterling can outpace every defender but both lack the quality and character to play as wingers, they are forwards. The same for Chamberlain.

If you choose to play a 433 with forwards you allow the opposition defenders to settle because attacking players naturally cut back inside; for example the first half against Germany.

Sturridge offers the same problem and to an extent so does Lallana. There is only one English player who fits width as a tactic, Albrighton. He creates danger from his position as left winger but as right winger he's very effective in creating chances, he is of course right footed.

He will never be picked so we must accept that the middle is where we will be most effective and not expect miracles when we play with wide forwards. Roy must recognise this too.

At least this time it'll be Kane and not Sturridge as the lone striker. He'll demand crosses and is very able to play with his back to goal on both feet.

The rest who should probably go

Henderson - Rated highly by Roy but alas not by me. A good player who makes decent decisions and gets up and down the pitch but really isn't superb at anything. Does have a nice pass when he is afforded time and reads attacking play well.

Carrick - Losing Scholes meant we lost a player who passes calmly under pressure, Carrick has proved a decent understudy. We may need that cool head in central midfield, if his knees hold.

Drinkwater - It may be foolish to go to the Euros with one defensive midfielder and Drinkwater has the discipline to play that position as well as be involved slightly higher up. Deserves his opportunity.

Sterling - A sub if ever I've seen one. Poor crosser, average passer, average finisher. He may be a stunning dribbler and incredibly quick but he's got a long way to go to prove himself as a guaranteed England starter. Will decimate a slow defence so will rightly play his part in the tournament.

Baines/Bertrand - We may need another full back, despite Dier being an option. Quality vs. endeavour, Bertrand is fit and has been playing. I'd take Simpson.

Sturridge -  A problem because he's ineffective out wide despite being a chance maker, for himself. Poor passer, too one footed and selfish to play up top alone so he must play with a partner. Sometimes the young talents are eclipsed by the Vardy's of this world, is it time England accepted that?

Lallana - Klopp has brought him back to his best and we're now seeing the confident talent of two years ago. Smart enough to play in the hole, technically gifted enough to wander and keep the ball moving and with enough crossing ability to play wide. Not a bad time to hit form despite not yet meeting the hype.

Honourable mentions (players I would consider until the last minute) -

Noble - A solid player in central midfield who makes great decisions. Great passer, solid striker of a ball, good tackler, very committed. A real shame he hasn't had an opportunity to show why team play is invaluable.

Albrighton - Puffs at 60 minutes but sprints for 70. His mantra is cover in defence and take the ball with you/cross to keep play moving. Predominantly right footed but much better than David Bentley, who got 8 caps when England still had Beckham. Would add something that Kane needs and Vardy experiences.

We choose many one-dimensional forwards, why not choose at least one one-dimensional winger.

Walcott - I still can't get on board with Walcott. He has talent but he's lost so much rawness since joining Arsenal. Poor crosser but intelligent enough to get into the right position, decent finisher but poor decision maker, does cause havoc in the box.

Chamberlain - Better crosser than Walcott but spent his time as an impact performer who is struggling to refine his rawness. Offers more than Walcott out wide but both are subs.

Wilshere - Permanently injured and perhaps not worth the risk. Needs time to recuperate and should be given that. When fit he's definitely a player you want because he links up play brilliantly and is committed to his team.

Luke Shaw - Same as Wilshere, he is constantly rushed back and constantly injured. We cannot afford a wasted space or an unfit player.

Defoe - Still doing what he always does, scores when he starts but quiet for most of the match.

Simpson - Top of the league, resilient and hard working. Gone through the mill and has come out stronger. With so little in terms of defensive quality perhaps taking him as a sub would prove valuable in respect of the Leicester bond.

Jagielka - Everton ship goals but yet he remains and option. England's choices are not that strong and pedigree keeps him involved.

Jose Fonte - Solid, dependable, experienced. Deserves a mention despite his age.

Callum Chambers - He plays for Arsenal so automatically in Roy's mind. A good young player who has been blighted with injury and perhaps poor choices. Moving to Arsenal has not brought him on enough despite showing glimses of ability. I'd prefer a solid defender like Fonte than a young talented one.

Aston Villa, the Championship beckons

No posts in an age, mostly because Aston Villa haven't bothered to play any football but things have been interesting (if you're not a Villa fan), culminating in a disgraceful 2-0 loss to Hull City.

Paul Lambert would clearly make a great Director of Football, his signings have been brilliant and the prices have been very fair but management is not something that this manager excels in.
Looking at his mistakes this year it's clear to see that he is as clueless about remaining tactically astute as he is about player management.

Certain examples point to Villa's problems and none more so than player selection, when McLeish let go of Guzan Villa fans rejoiced when Lambert signed him up again, and we were right, he has saved Lambert's behind on a number of occasions.
An incredibly low goal total has been followed by a lack of attacking ability and player selection has played its part, Lambert is treading a thin line.

Performances have been as bizarre as player selection with Lambert choosing under performers to almost every option. In contrast to other teams fortunes Villas own youth players have been given no support to steady a sinking ship and stagnant stars are given countless opportunities to fail.
On one hand you could argue that the players have failed the manager but in the case of Agbonlahor any ability to have an impact has dried up and Benteke's movement, or lack of it points to either a lack of belief in the managers tactics or no desire to play, I would suggest the former.

Any manager who has seen a football match, let alone one who escaped the Championship, understands that players need to follow the pass, move to create space or make supportive runs but time after time Aston Villa players have been allowed to perform in their sideways style looking for five aside passes to motionless players, when Alan Hutton is your most creative player you know you have problems.
These are managerial failures, the manager should either drop players who aren't doing what they're told or change what they are doing because the current idea train is failing.
The same failures have come with Grealish who never gets a game, Robinson who was brought back from a successful loan only to stagnate, Bent who is now scoring in the Championship and countless others who have either been given their shot for an extended period of failure or ignored outright in favour of Lambert's guys.

Clearly Lambert's tactics are flawed, the loss of Bent and Albrighton point to this, one likes to finish inside the box and the other likes to put the ball into the box, while neither will set the Premiership alight they will get you chances and get you goals, two things that don't occur at Villa park or away from it. We do however see many passes outside the box, neat interplay when defenders are in defensive positions and a complete lack of movement inside the box. Villa's woes have suffered from a lack of variation and a lack of ambition, passes are never with purpose and the perfect pass is always a consideration, a classic example was the recent fixture with Hull where the ball in the box created real chances and thus two goals, but only with 5 minutes to go a Westwood shot delivered a great chance for Benteke.
The manager must appreciate variation and needs to learn, quickly, or Aston Villa will be relegated, at least he has pedigree at getting back into the Premiership, he'll need it!.

Edit -

Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone! The Lambert nightmare is over, now if we can just get someone with a football brain into the club we might start to go in the right direction, I'll take two places higher than we are if that's all we can get!

Chesterfield 3 - 1 Aston Villa (player review)

Aston Villa ran out with their youth team in full flight but it was the three older outfield players who really struggled to match Chesterfields excellent determination and teamwork. With a slow start from the Villa Chesterfield showed they're a team brimming with confidence as they dominated the first half, especially the opening 20 minutes of the game. The first Chesterfield goal by Darikwa was taken well but it was a mistake from a Villa defender and the lack of positioning which really told.

The three wiser heads on the pitch, Bennett, Lowton and Tonev clearly struggled to match Chesterfields determination and none of them really impressed. Tonev looked purposeful but struggled to either make or take chances, Lowton didn't struggle as such but some poor passing, slow reactions and wing back defending didn't make up for his ability to link with Gardner as the first half progressed, and Joe Bennett showed that even League 1 could be a struggle as he was constantly caught out of position and lacked any sort of bite in the challenge. Clearly targeted in the game Bennett showed Villa fans that a struggling season could be on the horizon and that the flying winger Richardson really has to play, despite his own defensive inadequacies. 

Despite the first 20 minutes of Chesterfield domination there was most certainly some positives in the next 25. The return of Gardner after a battle with injuries was great to see and the young central midfielder showed he hadn't lost his ability to spot a pass and switch the play, even if some of his passes were floated and not hit with purpose, his touch was decent and he managed to build a decent partnership with any player who was able to play one touch football but mistakes were made and he looks like a player returning from injuries rather than one with a new lease of life. The same could be said of Johnson who was extremely neat on the ball, happy to pass through the middle of the opposition and extremely useful getting up and down the pitch. Johnson built good partnerships with his teammates and although some passes went awry he showed he has the character and determination to be part of both defensive and attacking needs, his energy was a huge part of his good play but he's clearly trying to impress, sometimes to his teams detriment.

There were some eye catching performances from a youth perspective and Robinson looked lively and determined to show he had a good first touch and desire to go forward with or without the ball. Chesterfield were excellent at stopping him attack but it was clear that he wanted to push the defence backward and with Burke next to him they looked like players who are improving rather than stagnating. Burke especially was part of many good moves and his determination and strength allowed other players the opportunity to take better forward positions and build attacks. Though few and far between any chances created were due to Burke's good work and he should be proud of his ability to disrupt the oppositions defence. 

The second half saw a raft of changes but two players who started in the first were strong throughout, Donacien and Carruthers. Donacien started poorly and was at fault for Darikwa's goal but as the game progressed the young defender grew in confidence and started to show that he has the ability to make tackles, win headers and spot an interception. The central defender is blessed with excellent pace and this was of huge benefit both on and off the ball allowing him to either dribble out of defence or cover mistakes made by the likes of Bennett, Gardner or Johnson. Central defence is a very tough position but the youngster showed great signs of building on the minutes he's been given and is a definite option instead of Clarke and Baker when we need to dig for young replacements. 

Similarly Carruthers started poorly, with a few squeezed passes intercepted by a busy Chesterfield defence but the naturally offensive player showed real signs of class missing from previous Villa teams and deserved to play the whole game. He created many opportunities for attackers to move forward, his passing became creative and although he didn't make many chances for himself the Villa team would've looked flat and uninspiring without him. In his previous game the midfielder played as a holding midfielder and it really didn't suit him but as he pushed forward Villa did too and tactically the more advanced position helped the team look dangerous.

The second half also saw Grealish and N'Zogbia come on and the impact was immediate, N'Zogbia ran with the ball well, worked well with his team and constantly pushed the Chesterfield players out of position. The usually selfish player had a part to play in Villa's only goal and while one on one with the keeper he squared to Grealish who nipped ahead of the defence and slotted the ball into the net. Energy levels were much improved in the second half and Villa's trio of N'Zogbia, Grealish and Carruthers showed that together they could link up to good effect. Sadly tactical ineptitude reared it's head throughout the game and two goals were conceded from set pieces with a visibly frustrated Guzan confused at how stationary his defence could be. 

The positives were clear to see and although Chesterfield could have scored a few more the game was a good work out for the younger Villa players and the impact of the better players would have made Lambert a happy man. Huge problems remain, sadly Bennett was back to his worst and on set pieces nothing has improved but some of the Villa youth got important minutes and the confidence to play for the club.

An honourable mention for Herd who is back, lets hope in the long term as we need a central midfielder with bite (though he did play centre back in this game), and Okore, Herd's replacement in defence who looked a little rusty but confident on the ball and unfazed by any previous injuries.

Well done to Chesterfield who played good purposeful football and made Villa's trip a fight or get trampled affair.

Hopefully the future is bright but it will still require a lot of tactical consideration from the manager and personal development from the player, though only a friendly most Villains can count themselves lucky that Guzan is still a Villa player as once again he could be the difference between survival and relegation. 

The two halves of Lambert; the trouble with Villa

Paul Lambert is a manager in which I place great trust, he has a passion for tactics, shown by the variety Aston Villa have utilised, a desire to play passing football and a quality emphasis on trusting his players. He has developed over the last year and improved on player selection, tactics for players and changing things when the team isn't playing well but while all these positive occur they also exist as real negatives that could be adding to the struggles.

Instead of delivering countless match reports I wanted to deconstruct where I feel the manager needs to develop and why.

Player selection and trust
On the whole Lambert has come on a lot in this respect, below are some examples of successes and good decisions that have improved the side.
Last year Joe Bennet probably experienced the hardest part of his career so far, a huge amount of trust was placed in the young left sided player yet he delivered very little in the role Lambert gave him as left back. His defending was woeful, positioning very poor but attacking play showed promise. Lambert received a lot of criticism and finally when the year began we saw him dropped from the team.
Ashley Westwood also found some criticism but due to excellent passing, some Petrov like reading of the game, and a desire to put his mistakes behind him Lamberts trust was rewarded and he has become a key player this year.
Clark who saw favour at the start of Lambert reign has been replaced by the decisive, passionate Baker, and Luna who we hoped would solve the left back crisis was quickly replaced by the quality Bertrand.
Fabian Delph was considered a Championship player but trust and individual development has placed him as one of the first names on the team sheet and a quality member of the Villa squad.
These players have shown where Lambert has balanced trust with quality and has made important decisions to replace the less quality options, such as bringing in Luna and Bertrand as left backs but has Lambert also caused himself some headaches by ignoring fringe players that perhaps he hasn't placed as much trust in?

Two of these fringe players are Samir Carruthers and Marc Albrighton, while the later has found himself injured Carruthers has seen his Villa career stifled hugely and is finally getting some quality games while on loan. When he has played for the club he has filled a role Lambert wanted, a number 10. He plays behind the striker, takes on his man and has some good passing going forward, a role that doesn't suit any other player at the club. This role is imperative to breaking down stubborn defences and allows a new tactical approach to winning games yet we have not seen it utilised in any manner during Lamberts tenure. This is not to say Carruthers has the quality to make this role his permanant home but it's clearly a role he can play, something Bennett cannot as left back.

This fact brings us nicely to Marc Albrighton, the only wide player at the club. Though he perhaps lacks the quality to be a top winger he has the best cross at the club, a desire to help out all over the pitch, natural width and a passion to make run for through balls, qualities which endear him to fans and players alike. He however has seen his game time cut short mostly because of Lamberts desire for short passing tactics.
These two players can still improve but need games and a managers plan B, Lambert has either not considered how they could work or doesn't trust their qualities to deliver chances. I would chance at a combination of both but lead toward the latter as being the main reason.
Against West Ham Albrighton changed the game, the wide approach completely threw their defence and while we didn't score we did threaten, a lot, it seemed to take the team 15 minutes to realise that these crosses were actually real chances, by then the game was mostly over. This change of tactics were not down to manager tactics but down to player attributes, if only Lambert realised he also needed someone to poach a second ball/rebound. Weimann perhaps?
Weimann is an interesting player, trusted by the manager he is filling a role rather than playing to his strengths and it has shown as his few chances a game are usually spurned  rather than taken, if he was playing as a striker instead of a hardworking wide forward perhaps we'd finish the chances the creative Benteke carves out. Though a good player Agbonlaor isn't a poacher and he doesn't read the game like the little Austrian Weimann.
We have lacked a combination of player trust and tactical naturalness and this takes me nicely onto tactics.

Tactics
Lamberts 352 and 532 got us in a lot of trouble last year, he tried to fit a team to a tactic rather than a tactic to a team and over and over it caused us issues, as soon as we moved to 4 at the back some calmness came but certain players still underperformed. This year we have seen Lambert show real strength in this respect and we have seen a balance of good tactics against the right teams, however the balance of tactical personnel is still lacking. As mentioned the omission of Albrighton and Carruthers show Lambert hasn't considered width and a link man and player wise Lambert is struggling to find a quality balance, over and over this season certain decisions have confused the fans as well as lowering confidence within the team.

This weekend Newcastle scored a winner in the last minutes of the game and two players contributed hugely to our downfall. When Westwood came off we lost the only quality passer in the team with Sylla his replacement; though Sylla didn't do a lot wrong he also didn't add much to our play, didn't play box to box, or higher up and gave the ball away through poor crossing. This changed the way we attacked with no compensation in a tactical sense, the calmer passing dried up with Delph left doing the defensive and creative midfield work. For the next 10 minutes we looked impotent going forward but still had some counter luck on the right as Newcastle pushed forward, then in the final 10 minutes Lambert made his second error of the day and this was bringing on Joe Bennett as left back. In the weeks previous Bennett worked well as a left wing back and wide man but the problems he faced while defending came back to haunt us. Remy's goal was poor defending all round but Bennett was the real problem, his awful defensive header gave the ball back to the Magpies and they duly make their chance count. As soon as he came on, with Sylla on the same side, Newcastle attacked our left and we saw Villa's defenders looking nervously in order to cover potential defensive frailties; suddenly our defensive confidence was decreased and Newcastle drifted forward with ease.

But did Lambert have immediate options? Tactically perhaps not, the club has no depth in midfield; Gardner and Carruthers are out on loan, Johnson has not seen the bench in some time and there really isn't anybody else to mention. As far as left backs go perhaps Bertrand was injured but if not Lambert went for the win from left back and ignored both Albrighton and Tonev as attacking options. Tonev is really struggling but he doesn't lack confidence and has a lot of pace going forward and Albrighton who plays on the right could have exploited the passes Agbonlahor wasted. Even Bennett as left winger could have worked but instead we stuck with our impotent setup.
He could have gone to a natural 442 and pushed for a win with a solid back line, instead he gambled on a tactic that wasn't working and favouring plan A with plan A players.
Many of our poor performances and losses can be attributed to plan A, as well as a last resort desire to find Benteke with a long ball.

Lambert is a developing manager but he needs to understand what he has and where he can influence outcomes, if this means eating some humble pie by bringing players back into the team then he should do it, it makes him more flexible and more in tune with his players. He needs to place trust in all his players and not the ones he has brought in/nurtured and strike the balance between tactics and quality.
We all know he wants to pass to win, and I support that passion (even though at times we've had appalling pass completion statistics), but he needs attacking personnel plan B's and not just tactical ones.

The relegation zone is not too far away and so experiments will most likely not occur but perhaps the week in Portugal was as important for the manager as it was the squad; we can only hope.

Arsenal 1 - 3 Aston Villa (17/08/13)

An opening day fixture in which Arsenal were strong favourites ended up exposing Wenger’s tactical fragility; as an ever attacking Arsenal were left frustrated by some great goalkeeping from Guzan and desperate defending from the Villa back line, the Claret and Blues, today Claret and White, made their chances count, with a small hand from referee Anthony Taylor.

The first half started as last season ended, Villa fragile at the back and lacking a controlling midfield presence, and Arsenal attacking freely and looking like they could score at every opportunity. After 5 minutes Oxlade-Chamberlain was clearly ready to play as he used his pace and Arsenals incisive passing to stretch his full back and feed in Giroud with a simple cross. That’s right, I said Arsenal cross. 1-0 Arsenal. In fact the Gunners crossed a good amount for a Wenger team, sadly Jenkinson, who came on for Gibbs (cut above the eye) was the main exponent of this and he wasn’t particularly productive.

The first half continued that way with Arsenal creating good space in wide areas and Rosicky pulling the strings in the middle, yet for all of Arsenals good chances and neat play it was the pace of Agbonlahor that caused the most danger. A lovely move left the striker free to play kick and run through the middle and Arsenal only had one option to stop this advancement. A blatant foul in the box by Szczesny almost worked as the resulting penalty, taken by Benteke, was saved by the keeper. However the striker is a goal scorer and the nicely presented rebound was nodded in with ease.
Villa looked sharper for the rest of the half but Arsenal were clearly the better team and Villa simply couldn’t cope with their play.

1-1 at the break, Arsenal fans would feel rightly aggrieved.

The second half started similarly to the first with Villa floundering to keep control of Arsenal’s neat play style, however their passing looked crisper and on the hour Agbonlahor stripped the ball from the dwelling Cazorla, darted through the middle and was brought down by a desperate tackle from Koscielny. Sadly for Arsenal it seemed a good tackle, but the referee had a blocked view and Koscielny was punished with a yellow and a penalty. This time Benteke shaped for the top corner but swept the ball to the other side. 2-1 Villa.

From that moment Arsenal were stretched, their counter attacking game couldn’t work in the same manner and instead of soaking up pressure and breaking quickly they lost control of the midfield and needed to move up in clusters of passing. This suited Villa perfectly who with Agbonlahor’s desire to get back, and midfielders closing easy balls nullified the one touch passing.
Rosicky still looked dangerous and had a fantastic chance to level, he’d missed 2 easy chances before, but Guzan rushed out to make a great save; a few minutes later this was followed by another great save that saw Cazorla’s shot tipped onto the bar; this was the last Arsenal really tested the Villa defence.

Sadly for Arsenal things got worse as Koscielny’s yellow was doubled for a red and the Gunners high line allowed a great ball from Weimann to find Luna; one on one from the half way line the Spaniard entered the box, shaped for a return pass and slotted past a stranded Szczesny.
It was quite a celebration for the man nicknamed Tony Moon.

Sadly for Arsenal it felt like little had changed over the summer, dangerous play but nobody taking control at the right times, Wilshere played well and passed nicely but was moaning as much as the Arsenal fan’s instead of getting on with the game, Rosicky looked genuinely brilliant and was unfortunate to not score, but Walcott looked above his level again and Cazorla is clearly still in a pre-season mindset. Sagna got injured late on which has to be a real worry but Arsenal need a Suarez, or someone with his arrogance/ambition. It could be another season of ‘close but not cigar’ for the Gunners, though I’m sure not many teams would be disappointed finishing 4th.

Villa however might have a sneaky eye on Europe, two things could occur this season and for the Villains the manager is key; Delph looks a great midfield disruptor, Agbonlahor looks back to his hungriest, Lowton and Guzan continued their good form, Spurs will regret not buying Benteke, Weimann was the usual outlet and even Clark seemed ready for the long year ahead.

Where Lambert got it right today was the inclusion of El Ahmadi who sat back well, picked out good passes and made a nuisance of himself in defence without needing to look like a defensive player. His passing was clearly a threat and this allowed Villa’s counter attacking style to strangle Arsenal’s advances. With such a young squad, Westwood a Lambert favourite, and Sylla as an option tactical squad rotation in central midfield may prove the catalyst for Villa’s success, or their frustration.

3 points deserved for the Villains, Arsenal simply didn’t look hungry enough; though I am sure a certain Thunderbird will heap blame on a man in black.

Oh, a small mention for GDS (Goal Decision System) when Delph’s shot from distance rattled off the post and rebounded across the goal; for a tester it did indeed work and TV replays were quick to agree.

Aston Villa; manager, club or players? Some faults analysed.

The last three months have been a real roller-coaster at Villa park and the fans have shown an unfortunate amount of accuracy in judging their team and manager.

This accuracy would mostly concentrate on the lack of squad depth and poor use of tactics from our attacking manager.

With four days left in the transfer window the worries are really surfacing as a fragile Villa team has added nothing to their armoury.

Quality has been a real issue, and a lack of leaders is destroying confidence minute by minute; the return of Vlaar inspired a confident first half performance against West Brom but the slightest opposition attack has most Villa defenders sprawling.

The question of quality is problematic, a young team plays an awkward tactic and even though 352 could really suit their abilities pieces of the puzzle are missing.

An experienced left back leaving the club hopefully points to a plan of action relating to midfield, Delph and Bannan are a very poor partnership as both are mop up players but in different parts of the pitch; and neither have real physical presence. Delph has shown real maturity in recent weeks but he needs a partner to protect him, a true tackling midfielder who takes on a man with his physical presence rather than technical ability, the same could be said for Bannan.

The loss of Petrov really highlights this, while not the strongest player his on the ball positioning and calm attitude allowed the team time to assess their own tactical presence and though he played a slow game he took pressure off struggling players. A potential alternative could be Herd but a lack of defenders has pushed him into the back 3.

Injuries have devastated the team yet the reliance on poor performers is keeping confidence low, with Agbonlahor back, Dunne on his way and Nzogbia looking fit there must be something to get excited about; yet this excitement has nothing to do with Lambert efforts throughout the season where his young signings have really struggled to pay back unwavering managerial support.

This support hasn’t found its way to our own academy and far from setting a challenge it is simply decreasing the potential of them succeeding; for the many fans who were watching MacDonalds academy team thrive in previous seasons their absence seems to point to a manager doing it his way, rather than a manager who galvanizes, perhaps Weimann’s absence at the start of the season and instance of playing wide might point to this.

After Carruthers spirited performance in the last few minutes against Liverpool fans probably expected to see him getting some more game time yet in recent weeks the non playing ‘take on your man’ midfielder has been dropped from the squad entirely.

A rare glimpse of first team action for Daniel Johnson stopped as soon as it started, striker Jordan Bowery has been supporting from the wings in dying minutes and Derrick Williams was publicly told he wasn’t ready after 10 minutes of game time.

Enda Stevens has latterly found game time but has struggled with fitness, as has Lichaj; yet whenever called upon both have shown dedication to survival and added to the team’s unity.

Many fans would be questioning whether Bennett is ready? Whether Lowton really supports our defence? Why money was spent on Bowery when Delfourneso was sent on loan? And why El Ahmadi was bought when he offers no defensive quality? Poor performances from Bannan and Delph have seen them retain places, and Holman is a grafter rather than the link man the manager hopes for.

Player relations are imperative and there are examples of ex Villa players that left due to a lack of first team football, I’m sure many fans would be over the moon if the squad still included Crouch, Cahill and Gardner, and perhaps not too upset if it included Ridgewell, Lowry, Hogg and Whittingham.

Paul Pogba has proven that even the big teams can let useful players go; and I am reminded of a certain Samir Carruthers who came to Villa from Arsenal.

Player management aside tactics haven’t played to players strengths, a defensive crisis is compounded by Collins and Cuellars departure and the board seems to lack a director who understands the wider nature of success in football. Lambert is in a difficult position but he has been charged with this responsibility, he missed a huge chance to reduce first team pressure during the FA cup tie with Milwall yet a strong side exampled their fragility to Tuesdays opponents Newcastle.

Lambert needs to be strong; he was strong enough to buy young, part company with MacDonald, set strict team rules and gamble on a young Belgian but he hasn’t show enough strength to look at his own flaws and change his own managerial methods.

With enough games to save themselves extra numbers could really bolster the Villains campaign, but if not forthcoming the only way the club will stay amongst the elite is if their young talented manager changes his approach and plays to strengths and not beliefs.