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S1 E57 Brighton Heartbreak
13 Plays10 days ago
On today's episode Joe and Craig give their immediate reaction to Villa's 2-2 draw with Brighton at Villa Park in the final game of 2024.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Daily Villa Podcast
00:00:05
Speaker
sports podcast network work Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Daily Villa Podcast brought to you by the Global Sports Podcast
Match Recap: Aston Villa vs Brighton
00:00:17
Speaker
Network. My name is Joe Boone and I'm delighted as ever to be joined by Craig for this live kind of instant reaction to a two-wall draw at home against Brighton. First of all Craig how are you doing mate?
00:00:29
Speaker
I've had better days. How about you, Joe? Yeah, it's it was all sitting. It was all looking so good. We were sitting pretty to one up with just ah I think just under eight minutes to go. And then Tyreke Lamptey decided to to ruin our plans by smashing and a ah ball. Really good finish from I think just inside the box to level it up. So before we kind of delve into the details, Craig, what are you kind of instant emotions after that?
00:00:58
Speaker
Instant emotions like every Villa fan is trying to question why we can't hold onto a lead, um why we struggle um to continue to dominate again because we look comfortable for a long period of time once we took the second goal. um And then I feel like again, it felt like we took our foot off the pedal again and it's it's getting very frustrating to be perfectly honest.
00:01:22
Speaker
Yeah, I
Possession and Performance Analysis
00:01:23
Speaker
completely agree. I think in terms of the the way we actually played, I mean, I'm looking at some of the stats here and 60% possession, which is is one of the things I said in the week that I kind of wanted to see from this game going back to a villa side that but was kind of more reminiscent of Unai and re-controlling the ball. We had 20 shots, only four on target, which is something we might go into a little bit deeper later in the episode. But yeah, I think, you know, we we kind of, we looked as though we were kind of dominating the ball.
00:01:52
Speaker
But in terms of quality of chances, there wasn't a huge amount of kind of big clear cut chances. um Looking at the team, was there any kind of issues with the lineup going into it or anything you questioned?
00:02:04
Speaker
Yeah, I'm, I'm going to go off on one here. Um, to be be honest, like, uh, from the start, right from the beginning, I was annoyed at seeing kinds of back at right back. I've said it a hundred times. If I've said it a thousand that it makes our team weaker when he's brought out of the middle and pushed out onto the right. Um, this is going to be a sound bite for the episode ronza is a champions league center back, but he's a championship right back.
00:02:33
Speaker
we need investment in that position because Kanza is not the answer. He's there if we are with a red card or he's there if we have multiple injuries. At this rate, I'd rather see McGinn dropping as a right back. um like And that's not a suggestion, that's just me being flippant, saying that I'd rather anyone there than Kanza, to be perfectly honest.
00:02:55
Speaker
i I just think it really weakens the team. I feel like they targeted us down the right hand side a bunch of times. The goal was scored. The first goal was scored from coming down that side. Him and car Hey, mentor, as I think it was at the time, not really reacting well enough to again, another counter-attack and another team again, exposing our high line, which we didn't see last year.
Defensive Woes and Transfer Talk
00:03:19
Speaker
I'd love to see the stats on how many times we get players offside compared to last year because It seemed like we did it all the time. We were so well organized last year and now it doesn't seem the same. And I think it did get better when Mings came on. I think our defense did look more solid. um Obviously it was, I didn't want c to see Torres get injured, um but we did look stronger once Mings went in. But again, it's the, it's the reason we're sitting in mid table is the fact that our defense isn't good enough and our strikers aren't creating enough.
00:03:52
Speaker
Yeah, I think there's some some great analysis there. I think the right back point is is huge. And as you mentioned, it's something that not just Brighton have targeted, but we've seen a few teams kind of try and take advantage of Konza in that role because it's simply, as we've mentioned many times, not his job.
00:04:07
Speaker
he doesn't really have any ability going forward he can't cross a ball necessarily and he just looks vulnerable every time anyone kind of drives at him in that that position so i think it's it's definitely something as you say with with january kind of on the horizon now that we need to be looking at there obviously kind of ah talk coming out that they're they're kind of eyeing up two to three signings in the January kind of period or there's two to three players kind of being targeted you'd like to think that there is at least one right back in there because because I think it's such a glaring kind of area where we are vulnerable every time consor is there.
00:04:41
Speaker
And a big thing with Conza playing at right back is obviously center half Diego Carlos was was back in the fray today. And I didn't think he had it a game to remember necessarily. So with Conza stepping back into that kind of center half role, which you you hope you would, as with ah if a right back is brought in, Cash's suspension, Emery not trusting younger right backs. Is there an answer within the squad or do you think it comes simply down to to January investment in that right back role?
00:05:10
Speaker
I think based on, like, we've spoken personally that we like Nedalkovich. We think he's got a future there, but he's obviously not being trusted enough for or this position. Otherwise, why would we be putting a square peg in a round hole?
00:05:25
Speaker
um in Kanza shifting out wide. So for in terms of me trying to analyze Unai's thought process, I think it has to be investment because he keeps trying Kanza there. So he obviously doesn't see anything else in that position. So I think it has to be investment, but I'm really struggling as well for who we go out and buy.
00:05:46
Speaker
because there was a few players that I liked the look of in the summer transfer, but then they moved on. Justed was one. I think he's now at Leipzig, so he's out of the question. And who else is there? I hear Trent's going to Real Madrid, so that's not an option. so That's a joke. But like it seriously is the fact that, like, who out who else is out there? And I've always thought buying players in January is a sense of desperation.
00:06:15
Speaker
and who you're realistically going to get. So if if we can't get a man, do we just wait for next season? But is next season too late when we have players that have tasted Champions League football now? Are we risking losing them?
Transfer Market Concerns and Tactical Decisions
00:06:31
Speaker
Yeah absolutely and I think that as you mentioned there the January market is always kind of you're you're fishing for players that are unhappy at their current club or that maybe haven't hit the ground running at where they are so you're always kind of the the talent pool isn't necessarily as big as that you would in the summer window as you mentioned there you're kind of looking for players who are sort of desperate to leave their clubs but I think it's a sort of strange issue, the fact that Emery doesn't want to trust either of the two young right-backs in in kind of games of of this nature, because surely he's not seeing anything from Conza that suggests that Conza suits that role better than a ah right-back would. Obviously Nadelkovich is more of a a suited kind of right-back than Bogard would be, but I think, you know, after today you've got to look at Conza's performance and go they they're both better suited than Conza in that role.
00:07:22
Speaker
So, yeah, I'm not sure whether there's something going on there that the Emery just maybe sees a strength in Konza's game that suggests that he'd be a right back, but it's something that's that's certainly not working. Another um big point for me from the starting lineup was Onana dropping to the bench. Was that something you expected going in?
00:07:40
Speaker
Um, only because it's kind of like a shift in formation. Um, I felt we played more of the four four two again today. So one of our midfielders had to go. Um, so he probably thought that the battle for the center mid was going to be more technical based. So I think he went with Kamara over Oh Nana rather than a physical battle.
00:08:00
Speaker
And then you've got like Tealumans and we saw like McGinn and Rogers basically rotating from the left to the, to the number 10 role, um, constantly throughout that game. So I, I kind of felt like based on his tactics, it was the right call, but I wouldn't have been opposed to have saw that four, two, three, one, because I feel like one of the major points that we've talked about is our vulnerability in the counter-attack.
00:08:27
Speaker
And I think the vulnerability is not really necessary where it's falling to our back line. It's about the initial press from our midfield. And I think O'Nana might have give us some more there to stop the counter before it even gets going. So that's kind of the reason why I think the 4-3-3 4-2-3-1 I should say suits us a little bit more because we have those more numbers in that midfield where we can apply the press quicker and then our back four with such a high line isn't always being as vulnerable as it's been seen to be.
00:09:00
Speaker
Yeah, I actually think kind of going into this, I sort of pictured this as a game that Onana could really kind of excel in, because if you look at the Brighton team, as you mentioned there, we do often look quite vulnerable on the counter. But it's ah it's a side, especially in their attacking areas with a lot of quality, but not necessarily a lot of size or physicality. Look at players like Enciso, Gruda, Ciao Pedro.
00:09:22
Speaker
none of these are kind of physical players and I think that especially with a slightly more vulnerable back four with Kansa playing right back Diego Carlos who's four we're not always certain on, I think Anana would have just offered a little bit of protection of that back four and just kind of allowed some of the cracks in that back four to be kind of covered up by a really strong physical defensive performance in front of that back four allowing Tealemans to push a little bit further forward as we've kind of seen in that 4-2-3-1
Player Performance Updates
00:09:48
Speaker
ah system. And i I think he would have been made for this game. So I was slightly surprised to see him um not not feature in that way. He's also obviously a big kind of threat on both ends from set pieces. And I kind of feared going into the game that players like Lewis Duncan Van Hecken, the two big center backs from kind of set pieces may pose a bit of a problem. So, yeah, I was slightly surprised not to see a Nana feature in there obviously did come on alongside Barkley and those those midfield roles towards the end of the game.
00:10:17
Speaker
um On a more positive note, how good is it to see ah Jacob Ramsey make a kind of cameo appearance after quite a while out? It was very good. um I was delighted when I saw that he was named on the subbench and I really thought like you'd be given 20 to 15 minutes, something along those lines. And when he came on, he looked good. He didn't look slow, didn't look sloppy. He looked sharp. He looked ready to go. um He looked eager to to impress. So I think that's a massive positive coming out of this game that Jacob's on his way back to full fitness. So yeah, I was very delighted to see that.
00:10:54
Speaker
Yeah, I think he's going to be a really important part of this this system moving forward, especially with kind of some of our inconsistencies in wide areas. I think he can come in and offer another option there. We're going to be back after a short message courtesy of Zencaster to look into the goals that were scored by both teams.
00:11:13
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:11:52
Speaker
So welcome back and we're going to be looking into all four goals from the two-all draw with Brighton at Villa Park.
Defensive Breakdown Analysis
00:11:59
Speaker
The first one obviously coming courtesy of Brighton and I don't know about you Craig I don't know if you've had a chance to see the goal but it was just the defending you know we we mentioned in the first segment of the show about some of the vulnerabilities in this Villa defence and it was it looked to me sort of almost calamitous defending at times as as people out of position kind of the body positioning was all wrong and it was far too easy for Brighton. what What were your thoughts on that first goal? Yeah, I haven't had the privilege of watching it back since the live action so I can't really go into too much detail but I know it came down their left, our right yet again. It seemed that I believe it was Torres and Kanza basically got in each other's way and to allow
00:12:46
Speaker
a drinker, it was it who scored the goal. Yeah. Yeah. So they and it it was a sloppy goal that basically started again on a counter attack where the way we play is so expensive. So we were completely spread out when you watch say like a city, for example, like a man city where they play with inverted full backs and so on, when they lose the ball, there's still lots of their players around it. The difference is because we're so expensive and It's both a positive and negative, whichever way you look at it. But because we're so expansive, as soon as the Brighton get the ball, they've got enough time to pick their heads up and go. So like I say earlier on in the show, that the fact that our midfield didn't apply enough pressure to begin with meant console was having a race down his left hand side. Then again, apply a player playing at a position.
00:13:35
Speaker
It was caught on that wrong shoulder um as the ball came in, as far as I know. Then he got in the way of Torres and it just, as you say, it was climateable. It was really, readingy really, really disappointing way to concede a goal.
00:13:52
Speaker
Yeah, it was really disappointing. And I think as we've mentioned before, the kind of the difference between the back four this year and and in last season is it seems night and day at times, it seems that last year, as you mentioned earlier on, we were catching players offside for fun. We were all we were kind of you could see that line, such good communication, moving up and stepping off and knowing exactly when to kind of push up and when to drop.
00:14:17
Speaker
And some of the the defending that we've seen this year from Villa has been the complete opposite of that. We've seen kind of individual errors. We've seen kind of mistakes made when trying to play out from the back, which was always something that we were really, really stronger. And then moments like today where there just doesn't seem to be any sort of cohesion or communication between that back line. And it at times does look comical defensively. And I'm not sure whether that's down to Kind of chopping and changing personnel out playing people out of position or or whether it's just down to kind of individual lapses in concentration But what do you think Emery's message is going to be to that back for the kind of coming into the new year? I Don't think there's much more we can say um About it, and I don't know if there's much more that Emery can go. It's it's now a place of
00:15:05
Speaker
What's gone so drastically wrong from last year with that back four? Because we, with the exception of Madison, ma we haven't added anyone in and Madison barely sees any minutes. So is it a case of our positions have been found out that they know how to play against us?
00:15:23
Speaker
Is it a case of that? um As you said, the shopping and changing with kinds of being on the right, being so nervous to basically step out of position that he's off balancing the unit. So it's keeping players on side and so on. So it.
00:15:39
Speaker
He's going to have to ask a lot of questions, but for me, and I think in a future episode, we're going to talk more about who we're going to keep, who we're going to stay, who we want to release and so on from the contract. But I think there needs to be some serious investment in this team. um And I know FFP has really struggled us with that in in those terms, just like it did Newcastle before, like I mentioned at the beginning of the season.
00:16:05
Speaker
It's going to be tough, but I think some serious investment needs to go into that team and maybe some chopping and changing happens in that back four. In particular for me, Diego Carlos, he's not one of the younger players in the team now. I think he's not showing the form that we were accustomed to. And again, I feel like he only turns up in big games and as a team that's trying to find that balance of European football as well as league play, we can't have a passenger like Diego Carlos at the moment. Yeah, I completely agree. I think it will be interesting when we do do that ah episode kind of looking into our squad, especially with January window on the horizon to see what some of our our fellow co-host opinions are on Diego Carlos, because I think he's a very polarizing figure in amongst their sections of Villa fans.
00:16:54
Speaker
Villa hit back around around 20 minutes later through a penalty that was converted by Ollie Watkins and my question kind of off the back of this would Duran out for three games which is a ah sort of a decision that we can probably make an episode on its own ah in regards to how good was it to see Watkins on the score sheet? I think it's great for for one villa fans to basically get off the guys back at
Key Players' Impact
00:17:23
Speaker
times. I've seen posts today after a goal and assist of people saying putting the poo emoji up and everything like that for for Ali. It's crazy because they're on his back no matter what he does. He gets a goal and assist and that's not enough.
00:17:38
Speaker
um I think for him in particular though, it's even more important because I do think he's a confident striker When he is confident he's on form and he does play really well When he goes through those rough patches and as I've said There's many many Villa fans out there that are on his back all the time if he reads social media That's that's a cue for him to be depressed right away So it's a case of I don't think he's able to pick himself out that rut really quickly. He needs that confidence in order to play well. And that's something psychologically, I think he needs to work on himself.
00:18:14
Speaker
how he can try and remain upbeat when it's all it's not always going right because as you know like you can be a midfielder and miss a couple of passes and no one says anything you're striking you miss a couple of shots and it's a big deal so it's a case of Ali really needs to pick up his confidence and it was terrific to get him on the score sheet so Yeah, I think that's so a really important point. He had a you know good performance in my book today, as you mentioned there, a goal and assist. you know There's not a whole lot more he could have individually done for me today. And I think maybe the pressure of of knowing that he's going to feature um in these next couple of games with Duran's suspension might do him the the kind of world of good knowing that he's going to get that chance to kind of have a ah consistent-ish run of form.
00:18:59
Speaker
um with the absence of Duran so I think yeah really really good to see him back on the score sheet and hopefully he can ah silence a few of his his big critics in the next couple of games.
00:19:11
Speaker
Villa then pushed on and just after half time we went ahead through Morgan Rogers, ah some good second phase play and a really good finish actually from from Morgan Rogers, somebody who we've we've been kind of quite vocal previously about his lack of cutting edge or clinical nature and he's certainly kind of proved that but he's got that in his game in the last few weeks hasn't he? He sure has.
00:19:35
Speaker
it It was a delight to see him score because he just gives this vibe that he's just such a nice lad. Do you know what I mean? Like ah not only is he a good player, but you you hear him in interviews and everything. He just seems to love his job, love his life and a local lad as well from How's Owen.
00:19:52
Speaker
So it's it's good that he's he's really seems to have worked on it. I don't know if he's doing extra work in training um ah with his finishing and like his final delivery. But to me, that does seem to have improved and maybe it is a confidence thing after scoring that cracker the other week. um So maybe he's just really living living life well and training hard and it's paying off for him. So it's really good to see.
00:20:19
Speaker
Yeah, he's a player who's who's really come into his own this year, probably been my player of 2024 for Villa. He's really flourished since kind of arriving around this time ah last year. And he's he hasn't really looked back. He's kind of fit into this team really well. And as I mentioned, he's now adding goals and assists to his ah to his kind of a repertoire of Maisie runs through the heart of opposition midfield. So it's good to see that he's that's kind of something that he's adding to his game. And it's now kind of getting the ah the sort of national media looking at him as a really really exciting talent as as all Villa fans know that he is. And then it all kind of went wrong for us as we were sailing towards three points and kind of closing in on those those top five six spots when Tariq Lamptey decided to smash the ball from just inside the box past Emi Martin as to to level the game. Really good finish from ah from the right back but once again probably didn't cover ourselves in glory defensively. What what did you make of that one?
00:21:17
Speaker
So before we actually talk about the actual goal, which I agree with you was, was a good goal. It's a case of that up till the 60th, 70th minute, we looked in control. It looked like we were going to get that for goal. And here's the thing, the actual performance up till it basically, if the game would have ended on the 80th minute, we, this would have been a different tone of a podcast. Uh, we played well for the bulk of the game. We did well, we had some good attacks.
00:21:46
Speaker
um However, yet again, we have to remind people that we don't play 80 minutes, we play 90. So, and like in this game, we played nearer 100 with all the stoppages. So, it's again, it's a time that we we didn't take it to them. We're at home, we should have had the Villa Park fans behind our back, we should have gone on and won that game three or four, one, because let's let's be honest, our defense isn't good enough at the moment for us to just see out again so we have to create that cushion of a goal or two in order to make sure we see out again because again I don't know I can't really recall the build up to the goal I think I was more like heading my hands at that point um so the fact that we conceded it was a good finish don't get me wrong I don't know whether Martinez could have done anything about it but it's a case of we just let Brighton keep coming coming coming after us
00:22:43
Speaker
And it just felt like once we got to about the 75th minute and we really felt like they were just all on top of us because we couldn't retain possession. We couldn't take the advantage of so many chances we had in their final third. Yeah, we just didn't take it to us and they punished us for us. And again, it's before becoming a worrying thing, like we conceded light against Bournemouth. We conceded light against Brighton.
00:23:08
Speaker
We're trying to target top five, but we lost to Liverpool, we lost to Arsenal, we lost to Forrest, we drawed with Bournemouth, Fulham we drew with as well, is that right? Or do we beat Fulham? I can't remember. I think so, I can't recall the... ah So, but what I'm basically be saying is all those teams in and around us, Newcastle as well, we've dropped points against all of them. And this is the sort of form that screams you're a mid table side. So something needs to change if we want to get back in Europe next year.
00:23:42
Speaker
Yeah, I think some of the the results against those sides in and around us make for ah pretty grim reading. And I think, you know, as you mentioned there, holding a lead is something that we've really, really struggled with this season. There's a few kind of things that are banded about when teams struggle to to kind of hold on to goals that they've scored early in games, whether it's a fitness thing, whether it's a mental focus thing. Do you think it's kind of one or the other, or do you think it's a combination of both in this filler team?
00:24:12
Speaker
It's a, for me, it's a bit of both. I don't see, I don't see the same confidence as we had last year. And I know like winning games builds confidence. And I think the fans are a big part of that as well. Like last year we'd felt invincible. There was never a game last year that I went into where we didn't stand a chance.
Upcoming Matches and Strategies
00:24:33
Speaker
Now I keep looking at that table and I'm seeing games like against Liverpool. For example, I fear for my life when we play against Liverpool, I really do. We've got Leicester next week, West Ham, Everton, and then Arsenal. So it's a case of, it none of those games now scream to me and say, oh, confidence boost. Because like even Leicester played very well against Manchester City at the weekend. Yeah, they didn't get the result out of it. But at the end of the day,
00:25:03
Speaker
Like they they do that against us, kind of a localish Derby with East Midlands versus West Midlands, not a Derby, but a rivalry. um They could be up for it. They need the points. So I really, really concerns me. So it's a case of we we just don't feel that confident as we were last year.
00:25:23
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's a huge point in terms of the the confidence levels that I dare say come when we're performing really well. And I think we've struggled in in kind of even games that we've won, we've sort of struggled through them. and We've had some really, really tough ah tests in in the last couple of weeks. So I think that confidence will hopefully come from from what we're hoping is a good run out yeah to kind of start the year. But we're going to be back to kind of look ahead to our first game in 2025 after a really short message courtesy of the Global Sports Podcast Network.
00:25:55
Speaker
This podcast is part of the Global Sports Podcast Network, the only network bringing you exclusive daily news and views on your Premier League team, the Premier League, women's football and fantasy football. A unique listening experience that puts the fans first, bringing you the very latest breaking news from your team. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and make us your first listen every day. The Global Sports Podcast Network, every club, every day.
00:26:24
Speaker
So as you mentioned there Craig, it's Leicester on the horizon now for our first game of 2025 back at Villa Park on the 4th of January. How do we kind of, we how do we bounce through this this difficult kind of tough to take draw? How do we, what would be your kind of message going into that one? It's a Villa Park home game.
00:26:45
Speaker
It's a game against a team that are struggling, very much so, who, like I said, can be dangerous. They did well against Manchester City, he didn't get the result. I am really hoping, and I feel like I haven't seen one of these all season, even the game we won against Brentford. We still couldn't finish out the game with a three nil win. I really want to see against Leicester, a state of intent. I want us to go out there. I want, I,
00:27:15
Speaker
Honestly, I don't want to think about the FA Cup in in our rear view mirror. I want to go for that game. I want points in the league first. I want a dominant performance. And I think that's the only way we can start building that confidence in us. If we get like one, a run of results, which we we haven't done too bad in recent weeks up until like the forest loss. So if we get a run of results, but also that performance that basically screams out, yes, you do belong to be qualifying for Europe. Yes, you do belong in the top five.
00:27:50
Speaker
one of those performances that really reminds everyone what a threat Villa can be. Yeah, I completely agree. I think we sit, you know, we still only two points off of a sixth place as we now sit in ninth, which is not exactly pretty viewing, but we're still very much in that running. And I think, as you mentioned there, you know, Villa Park, where we tend to play our better football against the a Leicester side that no disrespect to them but we we should be going there and and and ah we should they sorry we should be hosting them and beating them is what i want to say so i'm sure we'll have a full preview for that one later in the week but i think that pretty much wraps up everything we have for this episode
00:28:32
Speaker
This has been the Daily Villa Podcast as part of the Global Sports Podcast
Audience Engagement and Conclusion
00:28:37
Speaker
Network. Be sure to get in touch, give us your thoughts on all the socials that you can find in the podcast description. This has been a Global Sports Podcast Network. Thank you, Craig, as ever, for joining me. Up the villa. Up the villa.