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Daily Villa S1 E72 Cardiff await in the cup and looking ahead to Ipswich
13 Plays19 days ago
On today's episode Joe and Dan give their reaction to the FA Cup draw that sees Villa face Cardiff and look ahead to a huge Premier League clash with Ipswich.
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Transcript
Introduction to the Daily Villa Podcast
00:00:05
Speaker
sports podcast network work
00:00:11
Speaker
Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Daily Villa Podcast as part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Joe Boone and I'm joined by Dan to cover a few different topics surrounding Villa
Celebrating Villa's FA Cup Progress
00:00:24
Speaker
at the moment. Before we dive straight in, Dan how are you mate?
00:00:28
Speaker
Oh, I'm doing great, Joe. I'm really doing all right and really happy ah to see us move on to the next round in the f FA Cup. It's ah been a little while since we've ah we've got this far. Exactly. It's exciting times for Villa being in this this next round of the FA Cup. it's not a ah It's territory that's been unfamiliar to us for the last few ah seasons as we've kind of crashed out in
Upcoming FA Cup Match Against Cardiff
00:00:51
Speaker
the early rounds. We now know exactly who will be facing in the next round of the FA Cup and it's Cardiff at home on the 1st of March. How do you feel about Cardiff? Are you happy with that draw? What kind of, ah what do you think they pose? What dangers do you think they pose to this fill aside? Well, if if truth be told, Joe,
00:01:10
Speaker
um um umm you know I'm quite happy that we we managed to avoid a Newcastle or a Brighton. It isn't a game that Villa are going to be able to take lightly. We've seen performances like Leighton Orient, certainly given Man City a good game. And thank heavens we've not drawn out Plymouth, because that would have been ah absolutely petrifying.
00:01:36
Speaker
um You know, we've we've seen them do well over the weekend. So Villa are going to have to be fully focused, um you know,
Challenges and Opportunities in the FA Cup
00:01:44
Speaker
for us to progress. And I think if Villa are being a little bit on the back foot or a little bit, you know, concentrating on games coming up, I think this won't be easy, but it's something we should be we should be sailing through.
00:02:00
Speaker
Absolutely. there's some There's still some big teams in that that draw, obviously Man United are still in there, Man City have got Plymouth. So we we managed to avoid kind of those those huge sides in English football, which I think is a really ah a really positive thing. A quick one on Cardiff side, obviously we're going to see some ah ex Villa players return to Villa Park, some cult heroes from those ah earlier days.
00:02:23
Speaker
Callum Chambers, Anwar El-Ghazi, Callum Robinson all will be returning to Villa Park. What sort of receptions do are you hoping that they get on their ah on their return? i'm I'm hoping they they get a good reception. They've all been, in their way, very um stoic servants to Villa and certainly Algazi. I remember some fantastic um goals that he scored for us and really pulled us out of the mile when we've been up against it. So um'm I'm hoping the Villa Park faithful down at B6 are going to remember those times and
00:02:58
Speaker
you know, give them give them the respect and the applause that they deserve, really, if they if they step out for Cardiff. So, yeah, let's let's hope that they're treated well on their return.
00:03:10
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I think Anwar Alghazi there is the the big one, obviously his goals and in the playoff final and in those early Premier League days were were crucial for us. So I'm sure he'll get it a great reception. he He was quite open on Twitter about his ah desire to to come back
A Golden Opportunity for Villa
00:03:26
Speaker
to Villa Park. So I think that'll be really nice for him, stepping out again, albeit not in the current blue.
00:03:32
Speaker
ah With the teams left in the competition we kind of hinted at some of the bigger ones that are still left in the team But a lot of those huge size have crashed out. No Liverpool. No Arsenal. No Chelsea Does this feel like the kind of golden opportunities for Villa to finally capture some silverware? Yeah, um absolutely Joe, I really think it is I mean looking at the draw um ah really a really good um game draw for us to see Newcastle versus Brighton. I'm really glad they're going to be playing each other. I wouldn't have been that worried had we had to go to Man United. I think we could have done a bit of a number.
00:04:12
Speaker
um You know, with the but the way that the squad's looking now, with the squad depth looking much healthier, um I think we could go really deep into this competition. And ah just just to throw up a little stat at you, this is something that you might like. It might quite be totally worth it. Villa have done well in years ending with a five.
00:04:37
Speaker
Okay now we won it um in years ending with a five a little bit before your time and a little bit before my time in 1895 and 1905 so you know we'll have to go back a bit but recently we will run us up obviously in 2015 so maybe 2025 maybe it's our time I like it. I like that a lot. That's the the sort of optimism that we need going into the ah the Cardiff game, I'm sure. I'm sure the listeners will appreciate the look there.
00:05:10
Speaker
um looking at kind of as we mentioned this is being a little bit of a golden opportunity for Villa to capture some silver where we mentioned a lot of those big teams have gone out and as you mentioned there in 2015 it was it was runner-up to Arsenal in it probably one of the worst days of my life 4-0 thumping at Wembley watching Olivier Giroud kind of have fun with this villa side. How important is it for Unai Emery in his next step? Obviously he's achieved so much as Aston Villa manager and that next kind of inevitable step feels like finally winning some silverware, finally bringing something kind of back with him and how important and how huge a moment would it be if he was to lift the air the FA Cup at the end of this season?
The Significance of Winning the FA Cup
00:05:57
Speaker
ah yeah I mean, I'm ah i'm an old-fashioned football fan and the f FA Cup means quite a lot to me. So I think if we're we're going to win any silverware this year, winning the FA Cup would be fantastic. I think what's also really important and something we shouldn't forget is it is also a route into Europe.
00:06:17
Speaker
if our Premier League doesn't pick up because it's looking ah you know it's not not grim reading and it's not gone beyond us. I still think top four, top five is is well within our grasp, but I think if we you know if we let that Premier League form slip a little bit more, I think we've we've got to really aim for for winning this. i mean from From seeing Villa five years ago, I think Unai Emery's tenure has been meteoric, quite frankly, and if he didn't bring silverware back...
00:06:56
Speaker
or we only qualified, let's say, for the for the Conference League. I think he's got enough um kudos in the bank to say, OK, Chaps, did it wasn't quite right for us this season. you know Obviously, we go again. um So I wouldn't be totally worried. But you know if we if we can bring back the FA Cup, we would all be lining the streets of Birmingham. I would um i would make my way there as soon as we want it. I'd be camping out ready.
00:07:27
Speaker
Absolutely and what scenes they would be obviously we're still in a unfortunate era of of not being in the ah the most recent West Midlands team to to bring any silverware back to the city so I think if any man can do it it's a it's Unai Emery and I think exactly what you're saying now I think he's somebody who has got so much credit in the bank with Aston Villa since taking over that you know we kind of we are hoping for something but we're not expecting of it and he's he's not his position isn't necessarily FA Cup kind of um based so I think that's a really important point as well and also the point about Europe with the competitiveness and Premier League and how many sides as we know are batting for European places the FA Cup could be a really a a really good route for us to kind of sneak into European competition
00:08:15
Speaker
We're going to be back to look ahead to the upcoming Ipswich game in the Premier League after a short message courtesy of Zencaster.
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00:08:25
Speaker
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00:09:04
Speaker
Welcome back and we're going to turn our attention back to Premier League football now with the clash against Ipswich on Saturday.
Strategizing for the Ipswich Game
00:09:11
Speaker
They're a team that looking at the table have struggled on paper, specifically in struggling, conceding goals and defending. But earlier this season they held us to a tool draw. What do we do differently to avoid a ah similar result?
00:09:27
Speaker
mean I mean, I suppose firstly, The clubs seem in very different places than they were at the start of the season for me. I think we're going to have to keep it tight at the back and I think it's vital that we concentrate for the full 90. Looking back at the Ipswich game,
00:09:47
Speaker
correct me if I'm wrong, but they seem to get quite a lot of joy late on in hitting us on the break. And we didn't seem fully switched on. And, you know, so it's going to take a 90 minute performance. And if we can ah keep that football manager's favorite of dilap quiet, that I think is ah is going to be a big one for me as well.
00:10:14
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Looking back at that two-all Ipswich game, I think it's a ah really interesting watch in terms of summing up and a lot of our frustrations with Villa this season. We obviously concede after eight minutes. Not starting games particularly strongly has been something that we've kind of commented on.
00:10:30
Speaker
a couple of times, starting slow and being punished, going 2-1 up thanks to Rodgers and Watkins, and then the 72nd minute, I believe it was Diego Carlos who makes ah ah kind of a mistake and allows Dalap to double his tally for a two-wheel draw away from home. So exactly that, I think we have to start the game strong, keep things tight at the back, because as we've seen already, Dalap is a ah danger man going forward.
00:10:53
Speaker
and make sure that we do kill the game off when given the opportunity because this is an Ipswich side that can score goals. We've seen that. But they're also an Ipswich side that that lead goals. So I think therere are it's it's there for the taking for us and it's a huge game. We'll talk about the significance of the game a little bit later. But yeah, I think we we have to make sure that from the off, very much like in the Spurs game where I thought we started brilliantly in the FA Cup, we want an exact repeat of that because we know that this side can do it. With ah talking of that,
00:11:23
Speaker
FA Cup game, we saw Ezra Conzer obviously depart with an injury, very unfortunate timing. ah He now joins Pal Torres and Tyrone Mings in the long list of centre halves that we will be without.
Lineup Predictions and Injuries
00:11:34
Speaker
Surely this will be the game that should mark the debut of our new signing on loan from Chelsea, Axel Dassasi. If Dassasi is to start, what do you expect from him? What kind of things do you think he'll bring? And do you think that this is the the the time for him to make his debut?
00:11:51
Speaker
Well, to to be honest, if we're not going to play him, Joe, I don't know if you're taking your boots down to Villa Park. um that That might have to be an option. I i would be surprised if we if we didn't put him in. hi I would. i You know, these these guys are professionals, and I know players have to potentially settle in a little bit more, but there's also the baptism of fire and, you know, jumping in at the deep end. I certainly think he's going to be able to cope with it. It's not like we're asking him to face Mo Salah on his first day, you know. So let's let's say this is the game that we try him out. um ah Correct me if I'm wrong, he plays on the right-hand side of centre,
00:12:37
Speaker
I believe so, yeah, I believe he's on that right side. So, you know, it I assume that also then means that we're going to be seeing, you know, Kamara ah potentially in that back line. um Obviously, you know, that's not who we would prefer him to be paired with, but Kamara has had such a solid couple of performances that, you know, I think he's going to be able to, I don't want to say show him the ropes, but settle him into that position and into the way the back line plays.
00:13:08
Speaker
um I'm just hoping to see him doing the fundamentals right. That was one of the things that when you looked at um Carlos, Carlos was a big game player, but sometimes the fundamentals just went away and he'd do a bit of a calamity Jane on us. So if if I was him, I'd be aiming to get the fundamentals right and playing it safe. And you know I know we can play out from the back and all that thing that you know, sometimes clearing the danger and putting it into rosette is the way to go. So, you know, playing it safe, clearing danger, fundamentals right. That's what I want to see from him. Yeah, I think you've you've hit the nail on the head there in terms of what I'm hoping that he brings. I think sitting next to Kamara, hopefully it settles him in. Obviously, they're kind of both being French that could kind of dead him in in that way. And just feeling like he's got that kind of safety net of Kamara.
00:14:07
Speaker
next to him. The only kind of concern for me with Axel Disasi is, as you mentioned there, the way in which we play out of defence. Whether his ball-playing ability is up to scratch with what a Villa defender has to be. um So hopefully that's something that he can kind of show us. I think that's a big part of his game that he'll have to to be able to display to fit into this Unai Emery system. yeah I think his defensive ability is ah is is kind of... it's it's fine, it'll do the job.
00:14:34
Speaker
um whether it's an Unai Emery defender remains to be seen but I think the profile of the player is something Emery will have looked at before bringing him in um and I expect him to to be able to bed in next to Kamara quite nicely and hopefully he kind of silences Liam Dalak which he's no ah no easy job but exactly that that's what we brought him in for so be interested and see how he gets on at centre half Kind of looking a little bit more generally, how do you expect Villa to line up on Saturday? The cameo performances that we saw from our our new signings Rashford and Asensio in the FA Cup? Are they rewarded with starts or is it very much kind of the same sort of lineup for you?
00:15:17
Speaker
i You know, i I think it is going to be the same side other than maybe obviously that change in the fence with De Sasse. I think we played so well that it'd be harsh to leave anyone out. um the The only person, you know, and I'm not totally calling him out because you could see that even his performance improved.
00:15:41
Speaker
is that I don't know if Bailey is going to get a full run out. I think it's that's quite, yeah, I think that could happen. But I don't think Rashford starts, I think Marlon looked sprightly and lively and dangerous and I think his performance against Spurs warrants a start.
00:16:05
Speaker
You know, he was really dangerous. It was so lovely. And I've mentioned it a couple of times before on the pod ah to see Ramsey and Rogers both driving forward at the same time. after all I thought that was really exciting. And I mean, with Asensio, I don't quite know what the deal is. um Is it a case of he does this year on loan and then we have an option for a year long loan?
00:16:32
Speaker
Next year. Yeah, I think there's I don't think there's an official clause in the contract But I think there's an openness from psg that that could be a possibility further down the line Fair enough because I mean quite frankly, I think we all need to just have a whip round and pay whatever we need to pay quite honestly But you know, I i'm not sure if he if he has a full 90 minutes I mean it might be that bailey has 45 and essential then that's the other 40 the other 45. But I think it'd be it's quite harsh to leave anyone else out from the team. I think they played so well against Spurs. It would be harsh if you were dropped.
00:17:11
Speaker
Yeah, I completely agree. I think I don't expect to expect to see too many kind of wholesale changes. I think the Leon Bailey thing is the only real kind of point of um ah change, obviously, other than the centre-half switch we covered. I thought the really interesting thing about the about Bailey's performance is the increase in work right now that he knows that there's high-level competition for him. No disrespect to Jadon Philogene, but obviously we now have a sense here in Rashford, which are a kind of new level of competition for places on those wings.
00:17:41
Speaker
And a ah thing with Leon Bailey I thought was interesting is he actually won the most ah tackles in the Spurs game from right wing, which I thought was really interesting. He he now knows what is required of him for him to keep that spot. He knows that he has to offer a little bit more defensively, as well as obviously being able to to to go forward and and kind of drive ah this Villa team forward. So I thought that was interesting. Ascento and Rashford obviously came on both looked really bright. How kind of um how understanding they're going to be later down the line I think if they're not starting games is something that Emery will have to balance and exactly what you said there I thought Marlon looked really impressive and really impressed with him in in kind of the the bits that we've seen of Daniel Mallon I think especially with the
00:18:27
Speaker
the the misfortune of the Champions League registration rules. I think we're going to see a lot of Marlin in the Premier League and I think that's thatt exciting because he's looked really bright and ah yeah we're just waiting for that kind of that moment where he ah he puts the ball in the back of the net and we really see exactly what he's all about.
00:18:44
Speaker
yeah And yeah, it's nice to have that that kind of quality and depth in those wide positions specifically, especially players who have won kind of ah FA Cups and Champions League, because I think that really shows exactly where ah this filler side have got to. So we're going to be back after a short message from the Global Sports Podcast Network to cover the Ipswich game a little bit further.
00:19:09
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.
Staying Competitive in the League
00:19:37
Speaker
So we're going to be bringing our listeners a crossover preview as usual with Ipswich later in the week but with Villa now having to play catch up a little bit in the league as we sit three points behind Borma through in seventh this surely is a game that we have to win isn't it Dan?
00:19:54
Speaker
I think it is. um Not only is it a game that we really have to win, it's a game we should be winning. you know If we want to be mixing it up with where we want to be, we should be beating Ipswich. And that's no disrespect to Ipswich. I really don't mean any disrespect to them, but we should be beating them.
00:20:17
Speaker
um you know We can say that there's still a lot of games to play in the Premier League, you know and and there are. But I would be getting I would start to be getting nervous if we conceded further ground on the teams that are above us. I mean, Bournemouth seem to be flying at the moment. And, you know, they've got Southampton and although Southampton are at home, it might be a little bit too much to hope for for Southampton to do a job on Bournemouth.
00:20:49
Speaker
You know, so I don't think we can be conceding any more ground at this stage. I think, you know, we've said it before on the podcast, these next couple of weeks are going to really define Villa's season, I think. So, yeah, it's a game we we should be winning. And yeah, yeah, nearly a must nearly nearly a must win.
00:21:13
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. I think it's you look at that table and it's so congested. Everyone from kind of ah from even but fourth down to about ninth or tenth, you know those positions can can kind of chop and change. you know where We currently sit three points off Bournemouth, but we only sit four points off Man City and fifth. So it's it's such a ah congested kind of position to to be in. And I think it's so important that we're making sure that we're keeping up with these teams, you know, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Man City.
00:21:43
Speaker
because if you look even further down, Fulham and Brighton are ah very much vying for those same places. So there's there's about five teams fighting for the same spots, and I think it's very much a case of making sure that we don't fall too far behind, because if we find ourselves in this position in a month's time having to play catch-up, we might not have the the the ability to to kind of come through and and take one of those places. Looking at the head-to-head with Ipswich, some of the stats from from this season,
00:22:13
Speaker
There's some interesting ah kind of points of of ah suppose concerning things for Villa, I suppose, in the sense that Ipswich on average are conceding over two goals per game. um But i've actually only kept we've only actually kept one more clean sheet than them in the league. We've kept three clean sheets. They've kept two. They sit in 19th place with 14 losses. We sit in 8th place.
Defensive Struggles and Solutions
00:22:35
Speaker
What do you think it is about this defence that's struggled so much to keep clean sheets to the point where we've only kept one more than a lot of people deeming a relegation kind of ah a certain for relegation? Well, I mean, the the league table doesn't lie, does it? And if you look at the league table, I think we are the only team in the top half with a negative goal difference. So clearly we have been leaking goals at the back. And I think that's partly to do with the amount that we've chopped and changed and we've had some injuries and some inconsistencies at the back. We've had some real moments of horror where we had to have Conza out on the right and quite quite frankly that that just needs to never ever happen again.
00:23:22
Speaker
um and i've I've got a feeling, though, in the second half of the season, we aren't going to see us tightening up. I personally, I mean, seeing this guy, Garcia, had a fantastic game against Spurs. I think he's a real... Montji has found a real gem for that. So I'm really excited to see how he progresses.
00:23:43
Speaker
but i Yeah, I think lack of consistency of of players in their natural positions, having injuries and not fully concentrating for the full 90. That's bit us time and time again, or starting off slow and letting teams get the other hand so quickly that, you know, we've almost given quite a few teams a 1-0 head start. And you can't afford to be doing that in the Premier League, you just can't. So, you know, it doesn't matter how much character you've got, you can't keep fighting from 1-0 behind. So, you know, I think we're for this defence to really prove themselves, we're going to have to really tighten up.
00:24:29
Speaker
really concentrate for those 90 minutes and not play balls that aren't on. Keep it safe, keep it secure. Go back to the basics of defending. That's what I think we really need to do.
00:24:44
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's exactly right. And i think it's it's I think it speaks volumes in the sense that looking from that Ipswich game earlier in the season, it looks as though it's only going to be Luca Dean that remains from that that back four. Obviously, Kamara is going to be in there. We don't exactly know whether it will be Bogard or Dessasi that plays alongside him, then Garcia, who I think as you mentioned there was a slotted in at right back and and look really really solid for somebody yeah so young coming over to a new country. I think he's he's hit the ground running and he's really steady. yes As you mentioned we obviously saw cons are at right back for a lot of the
00:25:19
Speaker
a lot of the the early parts of the season and it's an experiment that hasn't worked and so it's good to see now that that they've gone out and got somebody that I think a lot of villophans were probably unaware of before we came in but I think a lot of villophans will be aware of by the end of the season because I think he's going to be such an important part of ah of this villa side, particularly with ah with Cash's injury struggles So, yeah, I think it's a really exciting signing that probably went a little bit under the radar with the glitz and glamour of the Rashford's and Asensio's coming in.
Performance Predictions and New Players
00:25:50
Speaker
I think Garcia could arguably be just as, if not slightly more important than a lot of or a lot of those guys on the wing. And finally, as with every preview, what are we going for the score prediction and goal scorers for a huge clash against Ipswich?
00:26:08
Speaker
Well, i you know, you know, I'm the optimistic one, so I'm i'm going to go for a villa win. um I'm going to go for a free one to Villa. um I've got us down, though, suddenly as having a bit of a shaky start. um I think we could go one nil down in this, but I've got a feeling that this is the game where we're going to see um that first goal from Marlott.
00:26:36
Speaker
the first goal for Rashford and I think um the person that's going to score our second goal, so sorry Marlon first, I think Rogers is going to score our second and then I'm going to go for Rashford to put the cherry on the cake and give us our 3-1 result.
00:26:55
Speaker
Very nice. What a performance that would be. I think there's some um real scope for the the new guys to come in and and really make a name the kind of maker a performance out of this Ipswich game. It's a really good opportunity for those guys. I'm going to go professional 2-0. I'm really hoping we can keep a clean sheet and silence William Dalap.
00:27:16
Speaker
it's imperative that we do tighten up at the back and I think that's going to be a big part of this game. ah My goal scorers, I'd like to think Jacob Ramsey gets her amongst the goals, obviously continuing from the ah the f FA Cup, I'd like him to go on a little run and hopefully kind of show exactly what he can do in front of goal.
00:27:33
Speaker
and I'm going to go for Daniel Marlin. I think that it's sort of i I really want to see him score a goal. I think it's going to do wonders for his confidence embedding him into that team. um And I'm really excited to to kind of see exactly what he can bring, whether it's ah up top or or out wide. I think he's a really dangerous player that we we can now kind of ah use again against these sort of lower teams. I think it will thrive in that that kind of ah kind of battle. So yeah, 2-0, Ramsey and Marlin for me.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:28:02
Speaker
And I think that pretty much is all we have time for on today's episode of the Daily Villa Podcast. Thank you to Dan for joining me. Be sure to get in touch across all the socials that you can find in the podcast description. This has been a global sports podcast production. Thank you for listening and as always of the Villa.