Cardiff 3-2 Huddersfield

[Machiavelli]

Except that The Albion at home have looked 'out of sorts' twice this season, Villa and Brentford.
Both teams attacked Dunk & Duffy with 2, 3 sometimes even 4 players, this seemed to unsettle the entire team, shaking at the foundations.

I think teams are scared of this approach thinking they'll get undone by Brighton's 'usual' counter attacking.
Whereas it's beginning to seem like the reverse is true.

The easiest way to stop Brighton is to pick you're moments to attack the ball, enough times to unsettle D & D, but not enough to lose your shape.

This really is nonsense.
Brentford was difficult, because Duffy had just been drafted in, and Bruno had a very poor first half, and unsettled things. Villa didn't unsettle Duffy and Dunk. They certainly pressed them high up the pitch, but our two got through it. We did manage to have 59% possession against Villa, and that not only says something about D&Ds' performance, it also says something about Stephens, whose being roundly slagged off, but he kept things calm against an aggressive and well organised Bruce team, littered with quality players. We won't see too many better subs coming off the bench this season than Grealish and Ayew.

 

[theboybilly]

This really is nonsense.
Brentford was difficult, because Duffy had just been drafted in, and Bruno had a very poor first half, and unsettled things. Villa didn't unsettle Duffy and Dunk. They certainly pressed them high up the pitch, but our two got through it. We did manage to have 59% possession against Villa, and that not only says something about D&Ds' performance, it also says something about Stephens, whose being roundly slagged off, but he kept things calm against an aggressive and well organised Bruce team, littered with quality players. We won't see too many better subs coming off the bench this season than Grealish and Ayew.

This is true. Villa had a bench of which most would be first choice players at other Championship clubs. The experiment with Agbonlahore worked because he kept pressurising our defence- attackers being the first line of defence if you will. I don't think too many teams that are left to come to the Amex have the players to use Villa's tactics and if they did we've probably learned from Friday. I'm beginning to wonder whether having McCormack out inadvertently helped Villa as I can't see him doing too much defensive work.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Except that The Albion at home have looked 'out of sorts' twice this season, Villa and Brentford.
Both teams attacked Dunk & Duffy with 2, 3 sometimes even 4 players, this seemed to unsettle the entire team, shaking at the foundations.

I think teams are scared of this approach thinking they'll get undone by Brighton's 'usual' counter attacking.
Whereas it's beginning to seem like the reverse is true.

The easiest way to stop Brighton is to pick you're moments to attack the ball, enough times to unsettle D & D, but not enough to lose your shape.

Hmmm, IMHO we lost the initiative in midfield. Teams know they can gang up on Stephens / Sidwell (or Kayal when fit) - plus at times we compound this by sitting too deep. Maybe after an hour it is simply just that our 2 CMs are tiring. Steve Bruce knows us too well and we played into his hands. We were the home side and should have taken the initiative in tightening up and pressing higher up the pitch. We took the pressure off Villa. Hughton was about 5-10 mins late in putting Norwood on to give them support and maybe more fresh legs to replace either Skalak or Knockaert. The introduction of Grealish for Villa gave them greater energy at our weakest moment and the balance of the game shifted in their favour.

 

[Stat Brother]

This really is nonsense.
Brentford was difficult, because Duffy had just been drafted in, and Bruno had a very poor first half, and unsettled things. Villa didn't unsettle Duffy and Dunk. They certainly pressed them high up the pitch, but our two got through it. We did manage to have 59% possession against Villa, and that not only says something about D&Ds' performance, it also says something about Stephens, whose being roundly slagged off, but he kept things calm against an aggressive and well organised Bruce team, littered with quality players. We won't see too many better subs coming off the bench this season than Grealish and Ayew.

An awful lot of the teams attacking play is set up by the defence.
Whether that be Dunk's sumptuous long passes, or the full backs overlapping.
Both Brentford and Villa set up to disrupt that by harrying and harassing our defence in numbers, and it worked.
Not only keeping the 4 in check, but pushing back Sidwell and Stephens, leaving the strikers marooned.

I thought it was really, wow not seen a team do that against us, noticeable v Brentford, and Villa was identical.
Yes the team and the defence 'got through it' but the general consensus is that was a point gained, not exactly glowing praise.


Hopefully Billy is right and there isn't enough quality opposition left to play with the cojones to attack our defence with 3 or 4 players

We're not Newcastle, the Albion can't win the all, and I'm certainly not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
D&D are fantastic, I most definitely am not criticising them, more praising the opposition for having the ability to see their plan through.



Oh and the next time a team comes at us like that, if it's a Skalak day I'd change that early, to get Murphy on the pitch.
I loves Jiri but he does add to the 'bogged down' feeling, instead of relieving it.