[Albion] Deluded Gerrard?

[hans kraay fan club]

We only made one change and yet had Duffy and Offiah on the bench. We could have nullified it by going to a 3CB / 2WB scenario but we didn't react to it. What Gerrard also doesn't mention is that he had an extra 30 mins to construct his cunning plan due to the coach delay. We had already named the team and warmed up.

This isn't true. The teams were both released at 2pm, despite the Villa coach not having arrived at the ground. I believe they may have used a telephone, or similar!

And we held back our warm-up routine, in line with the 3.30pm kick off time, as well. We had absolute not named our team, nor warmed up, prior to their team announcement.

 

[GT49er]

Interesting, so as you saw it Cucurella was playing as the 3rd CB with Dunk and Veltman, Lamptey and March wingbacks, what was Moder doing then, he played as wide as I've seen him, Trossard more of a no.10. I must confess I saw an outright 4-4-1-1 however I've been wrong before!

The amount of dissent and disagreement on here about who was playing where, was it a back three or a back four, etc? That to me indicates an element of confusion - nobody really sure exactly how we were supposed to be playing.

I'm not sure the team didn't have the same problem.

 

[Guinness Boy]

This isn't true. The teams were both released at 2pm, despite the Villa coach not having arrived at the ground. I believe they may have used a telephone, or similar!

And we held back our warm-up routine, in line with the 3.30pm kick off time, as well. We had absolute not named our team, nor warmed up, prior to their team announcement.

I specifically didn't say "decide on the team" because I know that. He had 90 mins instead of 60 after the team sheets to strategize and they warmed up after us,

We're out on the pitch and he's on the coach really making sure the forwards know their jobs.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I specifically didn't say "decide on the team" because I know that. He had 90 mins instead of 60 after the team sheets to strategize and they warmed up after us,

We're out on the pitch and he's on the coach really making sure the forwards know their jobs.

We also had 90 minutes instead of 60 after the team sheets, 'to strategize'

And the second bit just didn't happen. The teams (with the exception of our keepers, who were out really early) started their warm ups no more than a couple of minutes apart.

 

[chaileyjem]

- Leaving the rest of the Villa team to send us down the left wing, knowing we're hopeless at goals from crosses. Whilst they carried a threat.
.

apart from those scored in the last couple of months by Welbeck (Chelsea), Welbeck (Leicester), the OG (Palace), Maupay (Brentford) and from corners/spot kicks by Burn (Everton), Webster (Watford), Webster (Chelsea)

 

[Weststander]

apart from those scored in the last couple of months by Welbeck (Chelsea), Welbeck (Leicester), the OG (Palace), Maupay (Brentford) and from corners/spot kicks by Burn (Everton), Webster (Watford), Webster (Chelsea)

Gerrard & this game:

Webster - out injured.
Welbeck - not in the starting 11.
Burn - stupidly sold.

Leaving an Andersson OG and Maupay goals as the season's spoils, relevant to this game.

 

[Guinness Boy]

We also had 90 minutes instead of 60 after the team sheets, 'to strategize'

And the second bit just didn't happen. The teams (with the exception of our keepers, who were out really early) started their warm ups no more than a couple of minutes apart.

When we got to our seats Villa were out warming up and we weren't. They stayed for a good 5 mins at least.

And I assume they had a plan B if we had named a back 5 and were able, on the coach, to confirm among the team what formation they thought we'd use and what that meant for Ings and Watkins.

I'm not saying they had an advantage - I'm saying Stevie's "genius" plan had an extra 30 mins to gestate.

 

[chaileyjem]

Gerrard & this game:

Webster - out injured.
Welbeck - not in the starting 11.
Burn - stupidly sold.

Leaving an Andersson OG and Maupay goals as the season's spoils, relevant to this game.

you said we're hopeless at crosses . We're clearly not.
Welbeck should have scored from one on Saturday for starters.

 

[Weststander]

you said we're hopeless at crosses . We're clearly not.
Welbeck should have scored from one on Saturday for starters.

No I didn't.

I said "knowing we're hopeless at goals from crosses".

Villa were contending with an EPL starting 11 with a total season's tally of an Andersson OG and Maupay. [Thank you for the information btw].

Even [MENTION=38333]Swansman[/MENTION] commented in the last 48 hours about this being an Albion weakness "a short in height team".

 

[chaileyjem]

No I didn't.

I said "knowing we're hopeless at goals from crosses".

Villa were contending with an EPL starting 11 with a total season's tally of an Andersson OG and Maupay. [Thank you for the information btw].

.

Not scoring on Saturday and being frustrated with the result , the sale of Burn or the injury of Webster still doesn't mean that we're hopeless at scoring goals from crosses. We're not.
Literally scoring just one goal like that all season would be enough to argue we weren't hopeless. which is a bit of an exaggeration.
Anyway most of our goals have come that way (more than half) and the people providing over 90% of those assists and nearly all our goals this season were all on the pitch at the end of the game on Saturday.

 

[Swansman]

Gerrard & this game:

Webster - out injured.
Welbeck - not in the starting 11.
Burn - stupidly sold.

Leaving an Andersson OG and Maupay goals as the season's spoils, relevant to this game.

Am I missing something? Mac Allister and Trossard has also scored a couple of ones

 

[Icy Gull]

Reporters are often asked if they were watching the same game as everyone else, but what was Steven Gerrard looking at on Saturday afternoon? "We caught Brighton where we knew we would catch them, which is in the transition down the side of the centre backs."

Leaving aside what that even means, they didn't, did they? Villa's goals where a well-placed shot following a poor clearance badly defended by a wing back, and a defender misjudging the flight of a long hoof. What did I miss?

Hang on, you are part of the media, shouldn’t you be praising everything about Super Steven Gerrard ?

Imo that fortuitous first goal changed everything, rocked a team low in confidence who were then bullied with little protection from the ref. In the final analysis we were rubbish though and that much talked about resilience has evaporated

 

[ac gull]

second goal on Saturday and first one at Villa away were all as SG describes re down side of a centre half too far up the pitch

SG calculation was let them have the ball, and only fight to get it back when set up to / can counter very quickly

six points later he can really say he got it right

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

It is nonsense if you conveniently cut out the over arching point.
He can say what he damn well pleases because his team won.


We had 3 shots on target over the 2 games (of which I sat through 175 minutes).

Sure saying 'limit them to a couple of chances and we've got this' is hardly rocket science or new thinking.
Sadly 'don't worry too much about March', also isn't news, neither is it self-aggrandizing.

So he pumped up himself a bit, maybe that's something he needs to do.
Maybe he took an opportunity to jab at 'media darling' GPott.

It really doesn't matter because the results speak for themselves.

Have to say I agree. Went to both games, and we were poor in both.

If anyone thinks that was okay Saturday then they are kidding themselves. Whilst MacAllister missed a good chance as did Welbeck, we could have still been playing now and we would still only have the Maupay effort on target to show.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I’m only here for the avatar

 

[Stat Brother]

Have to say I agree. Went to both games, and we were poor in both.

If anyone thinks that was okay Saturday then they are kidding themselves. Whilst MacAllister missed a good chance as did Welbeck, we could have still been playing now and we would still only have the Maupay effort on target to show.

Gerrard could just as easily said:-

'They could have started at 3pm, it would have still been 0-0 when we turned up half an hour later.
Just like at Villa Park'.

 

[portlock seagull]

We are the dream team to meet to kick start your season. Whether your Steve Gerrard or Mike Bassett.