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S1 E70 Groundhog day at Villa Park and looking ahead to Celtic
13 Plays1 month ago
On today's episode Joe and Craig review yet another game against West Ham, this time a 1-1 draw, and look ahead to the final league game of Villa's Champions League campaign against Celtic.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Overview
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 craig to talk through all things villa as per usual Once again, we're covering both west hams The west ham game and looking ahead to a huge clash with celtic at villa park in the champions league But before all of that first things first, how are you doing mate?
Pre-Match Nerves and Anticipation for Champions League
00:00:37
Speaker
Yeah, not too bad. It's um It's like the night before i don't know a surgery in my opinion. I am like ah extremely nervous ahead of the Champions League game.
Villa vs West Ham Match Analysis
00:00:50
Speaker
How about you Joe? Yeah, absolutely mate. It's a a huge game and a historic game for Villa as we obviously look to secure automatic qualification for that next round where things start getting exciting and we feel the jeopardy of knuck out European football. Unfortunately for us, we do have to ah
00:01:07
Speaker
Review the the West Ham game before we get on to the excitement of of Champions League clash once again Feels like we kind of take on West Ham every couple of weeks at the moment But we took them on once again at Villa Park. and It was another hardly memorable occasion one all draw with the hammers ah Just in general to start off with what did you make of a villa showing in that one? It was a bit bit dull really wasn't it? It's it was a good real big missed opportunity to like creep up with Brighton losing at the weekend to creep creep up the table.
00:01:41
Speaker
I, I thought our defense did fairly good. Um, I thought we were poor going forward though, with the exception of my opinion, Watkins and Ramsey in the, uh, the front four, if you want to call it that, uh, Bailey, uh, had another rough game in my opinion, really, uh, struggling.
Defensive Lapses and Improvement Needs
00:01:59
Speaker
And I don't think Rogers did really well. I think he's had a couple of games now where he's been nullified and.
00:02:07
Speaker
I'm sure we'll get into this in a little bit, but like the idea of Wendia leaving now as well, when Rod just clearly needs a break, I think is a bit worrying. yeah that's a really interesting point i completely agree i thought the defense was was relatively solid um i thought you know they were obviously we're going to touch on the the tyro mings kind of injury a little bit later on but that's obviously a huge blow luca dean obviously had to kind of shuffle into that that central defensive role and as we know he's not a central defender and probably doesn't have the physicality nor the the positional sense to play that role and i thought that's kind of when it all
00:02:43
Speaker
unraveled a little bit. I thought Buba Karakumara was excellent as well in a kind of holding ah role. we've We've seen in recent weeks him kind of really establish himself as one of our most important players in my opinion with his ability to kind of sit as an anchor in front of that back four and offer a bit of defensive solidity especially especially sorry when he plays next to Tealemans who as we've mentioned before isn't the most kind of out and out defensively minded midfielder.
00:03:09
Speaker
Obviously it was nice to see Ramsey as well kind of getting back to his form we'll touch on him a little bit later but as you mentioned Roger's struggling a little bit kind of not hitting the yeah the heights in the form that we're used to seeing with him obviously we know the quality that we have that he has even we're hoping that he can kind of get back to that relatively soon.
00:03:29
Speaker
it feels like a point that it it felt as though it should have been all three going into the game obviously we've played West Ham a couple of times now we know where the dangers are we know the injuries that they have we kind of we should almost feel like we we should know them inside out given sort of how much we played them um But as we mentioned it a goal by Jacob Ramsey was cancelled out in the second half by a back post header from Emerson It was a really sloppy goal to concede in my opinion It was kind of almost a schoolboy error leaving a man free at that back stick Basic defending and something that we have to get right It's a a mistake that we can't afford to make in a a game of that importance. What did you make of of West Ham's equalizer?
00:04:09
Speaker
Yeah, I totally agree with you. It was extremely frustrating, as you said, schoolboy defending. But I'm racking my brain at the last time we conceded a goal from a team that actually genuinely deserved
Player Focus: Jacob Ramsey's Impact
00:04:21
Speaker
it. It does seem that it's always us shooting ourselves in the foot as opposed to um just being outplayed.
00:04:28
Speaker
So it goes back to the thing, and I think we need the, uh, a repeat button sometimes on this podcast, uh, because we've, we've echoed the fact that the defense keeps leaking silly goals. And for me personally, it's starting to become a worry. I know we've been linked to a whole bunch of different defenders during the transfer window. Obviously the AO Carlos has left means as we'll talk about in a bit, uh, now injured as well. So, um,
00:04:57
Speaker
It is bleak times back there but maybe it's the the storm um beforehand and hopefully we can navigate our way through stormy waters. Yeah, absolutely. There's always a kind of host of names linked to Villa during this this this month, this transfer kind of rumour mill. Obviously Axel, this sassy and Juan Foy for probably the two with the most traction. um I'm sure we we might touch on them in ah in a later episode as to what they may bring. um But with Diego Carlos leaving and Tyrone Mings picking up an injury is an area of the pitch that we're now quite light in. ah In terms of the actual goal, I thought that it's so frustrating and it's exactly what you said there in terms of
00:05:35
Speaker
The defence looking so solid and one lapsing concentration, one kind of moment where you know the defence aren't picking up their their men and we're punished for it as kind of as the the quality of the Premier League and Champions League has proven to us. So it is very frustrating that we're dropping points through kind of moments of stupidity when we look relatively solid for the majority of the game.
00:05:56
Speaker
On a more positive note, good to see kind of Jacob Ramsey back into the fold, obviously returning kind of in recent weeks after a lengthy spell out back amongst the goals. We all know the quality that he does have. We saw that before his injury. We're hoping that this is the start of kind of a good run of form, potentially with Gwen Deere leaving and a couple of others maybe
Mallon’s Debut and Player Development
00:06:14
Speaker
underperforming. It could be ah a sustained run in the team for him. How important can he be for Villa? I think he could be massive. I think With the exception of the fact that he seems to be blighted with injuries, he seems to be constantly picking up knocks here, there. As you say, he's not really getting the long stretch of time in the team because he keeps getting interrupted by injuries. I think he can and was ah before injuries looking along the same lines of a Morgan Rogers, a good young
00:06:47
Speaker
English international that can damage defenders and it's good to see him on the score sheet this past weekend. I thought he took it took the goal pretty well, he was very composed um and I just hope there's more of things to come and I hope he's not blighted because the fact that he's a local lad as well does For me personally, I love our own coming through the teams. That's one of the things that annoys me the most about FFP because it's basically encouraging you to get rid of every single good player because you get a hundred percent profit on on those. And that's why it was such a good time when we got promoted when we had a Villa Fana's manager with a Villa Fana's captain. It does give you a lot of pride in the team and in the club. And I really hope Jacob Ramsey can
00:07:36
Speaker
reach that form that I know we can. Yeah he's he's a huge player for us obviously being a local lad he kind of gets the ah the fanfare based off of that but he's also a really talented footballer I thought he took his goal really well it was a natural finish a confident finish um and he was able to kind of steer the ball past the ah the West Ham keeper I think he's shown the quality that he has and if he can get up to that ah kind of that having a run of form we know that he can be as good as Morgan Rogers so having those two in the team and giving them kind of consistent game times really exciting.
Champions League Preview: Villa vs Celtic
00:08:08
Speaker
Another point I want to touch on very quickly was the kind of cameo that we saw from our new signing, Daniel Mallon, who came on just after the hour mark. 12 touches, naught out of two successful dribbles. ah I'm going to be honest, that the stats aren't, they're not glimmering for our new signing with these these kind of first appearance.
00:08:28
Speaker
kind of What do you think he can offer to this team? Do you think it's very much a case of bedding him in? you know Obviously, we're here kind of with January signings. You want them to come in and hit the ground running. Is that something that we maybe need to temper our expectations for Marlon? Yeah, I would say so. I think the Buns League is a very different league ah to the Premier League. I think he'll have to get used to a more physical approach in this league and less time on the ball. um So I think it will take his time. but i I know the stats don't lie, um that's for sure, but there was glimmers of hope in his play. I felt that could really give him some good competition for Bailey. And yeah, let's just give him some time and see how it goes. But yeah, day one wasn't the most glorified debut. So that's for sure. Yeah, I think that's exactly it. I think he he provides a really kind of
00:09:20
Speaker
ah really strong competition for Bailey on that side. I think he's got more quality than Philogene had and will test Bailey a little bit better and a little bit more in kind of having to raise his performances. So hopefully we get the best out of Bailey and and Marlin in the same way we're kind of having Watkins and Duran kind of pushing each other for those starting spots because I think Marlin provides a lot better competition and hopefully we see some of his his talent in ah in weeks to come coming off the bench or indeed starting in place of Bailey who as you mentioned didn't have his ah best display on Sunday. We're going to be back to look ahead to the Celtic game after a very short message courtesy of Zengaster. Do you have a story to tell the world needs to hear? Have you struggled with reaching new audiences who are engaged with your story? It might be time for you to start a podcast.
00:10:11
Speaker
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00:10:41
Speaker
Welcome back and we're going to be looking ahead to the clash against Celtic in the Champions League, a huge game for Villa, the kind of culmination of this league phase of the Champions League that they've kind of rolled out this season. What type of threat do you think Celtic pose to this Villa side?
00:10:58
Speaker
um I think the threat is a lot bigger on the crowd than it is on the actually on the field. But I think it's going to be a game that all Celtic players and all Celtic fans will certainly be up for. It's going to be um I put good money on that. It's going to be a much.
00:11:15
Speaker
better and louder environment that even the buying unit game which we spoke highly about how the atmosphere there was fantastic to play at and I really do think it's going to be some type of spectacle um at least in terms of your environment.
00:11:31
Speaker
i looking at the actual players on the field, um for me, a Celtic, like if we always have that argument, if Celtic and Rangers were in the Premier League, where would they fall? And I would say a Celtic is a very similar to say, like a West Ham, in my opinion, they yeah they're going to give us some sort of threat there. It's definitely a winnable game and it's a game that we should be going all out to try and hopefully get that eighth place, which is going to be difficult. I understand that, but it's still not mathematically unimpossible for us to get. So I expect Salty to come at us, sit in and counter-attack often. But Caspar Schmeichel will be extremely up for this game.
00:12:14
Speaker
and And I am from based on what I saw from their young boys a game in the Champions League. i I'm impressed with their midfield. You've got McGregor, Engels, and I can't remember the other guy's name. Hatati. Yeah. So it's a good, solid, competitive midfield for us. And I think that's going to be the keys to victory, personally, if we can boss the midfield.
00:12:43
Speaker
um and keep a relatively tight backline, I think we'll be good to go. Yeah, I think that's exactly right. I think it's going to resemble the Monaco game in some aspects in terms of the fact that Celtic are a team are fighting to to get those automatic spots in the same way that we are and what an achievement it would be for them if they if they kind of did it. So they know that a win here you know makes it kind of mathematically possible that they do kind of clinch those faces, highly unlikely, but they'll be more than happy to ah to come at us, I think, at Villa Park and take that chance. I also completely agree in the sense that I think this is a game that's won in the midfield. I think McGregor is a kind of a very experienced midfielder who knows how to play in those big games, those kind of atmospheres that we mentioned earlier. And they have, you know, they have players in there that will be kind of familiar to to English fans, Adam Eda up front, who's kind of had a bit of
00:13:37
Speaker
a renaissance and a breakthrough at Celtic since moving from Norwich. They've got a couple of centre halves in Austin trusting Cameron Carter because that will be kind of familiar to to kind of Premier League fans. Cashfish Michael in goal is a leader, he's a winner, he knows how to to win these sorts of games. So it's again not a game that we can overlook in any way.
00:13:57
Speaker
And I think off the back of some of the games against those kind of, um, slightly quote, unquote, smaller teams in Monaco, as you club bruises, those have been the games that we tend to slip up in. Um, and this is a game that we absolutely can't afford to to do that in because our our automatic qualification that we've worked so hard for is on the line. And I think who and I, and we will want to stress that those, that, that buy and win the RV Leipzig, when they don't mean anything.
00:14:21
Speaker
if we're not beating Celtic and and Club Bruges in Monaco. So it's an absolutely huge game and it's a really kind of nervy and exciting time as we record this kind of the the night before as you mentioned earlier. It's a ah nervy time but I think with the the players that we have and the quality on the pitch we should have enough to to to get past this Celtic side despite some of the the dangers that they possess.
00:14:45
Speaker
They're undoubtedly, as you mentioned, going to be in full voice at Villa Park. um If you walk around Birmingham city centre as I have today, you hear a lot more Scottish accents than you'd ah you'd maybe like to at this
Injury Challenges and Lineup Changes
00:14:56
Speaker
point. They are everywhere in the city as I went around today. um And our amazing Champions League atmospheres have kind of made national news as to our Tfos or our um our kind of our fans in full voice. But for this game specifically,
00:15:10
Speaker
How important is it for the fans to really get behind this Villa team in a crucial game for our Champions League future? I'd say it's massive and the way I would say that as well is I think the home advantage is always good. However,
00:15:28
Speaker
I feel that in particular for the players that we have, the the home reaction really bumps them up, like Martinis thrives on that sort of atmosphere, although he would thrive on playing against Celtic at that bare ground as well, like he would love the negativity there as well as the pride as we saw like in the little game last year.
00:15:51
Speaker
for example and you've got like McGinn for example who's gonna love taking on a Celtic and I just think the when Villa Park's rocking it really helps us get through the only issue I do have with our crowd at times is the fact that they get on our backs very quickly if we don't and that can also have the negativity if we come with the same enthusiasm and drive that we had for that Bayern Munich game um the atmosphere is going to help get us over the line. Yeah I think that's the kind of the flip side of the the Villa Park atmosphere is we are very loud we're very opinionated whether for good and for bad and you'd like to think that for such ah a huge game a game that we'll hopefully be looking back on as a huge historic night and a huge historic victory for Villa that
00:16:40
Speaker
fans will be um inclined to really get behind this team and kind of ah push them through because it's going to be a very physical game. I can imagine it's going to be a battle as much as it is a kind of tactical battle. Obviously, Brendan Rodgers and Unai Emery both have had kind of successes throughout their managerial careers, but I can really see this kind of being a ah battle. I can see Brendan Rodgers kind of emphasizing the importance of of trying to make it a battle for his Celtic side. So I think that's something we have to stand up and be kind of be ready for and I think people like Emiliano Martinez are going to be a kind of big part in in giving that message to the players. I think Ming's is a huge miss in that respect as well.
00:17:21
Speaker
Looking at the kind of the players on the pitch with with that game in mind, do you expect to see much kind of rotation in the squad, specifically off the back of the mings injury that we kind of hinted at earlier? Surely it can't be Luca Dean at centre half again for me, it just doesn't work. How do we work around those kind of those injury struggles before tomorrow? How is Onana looking? Is he is he close to fitness or not?
00:17:47
Speaker
As far as I'm aware, he's kind of, he's nursing it, so it's a hamstring injury he's got, and they're kind of, they're noting him for early February, but I think some of these, some of these apps are slightly too kind of harsh on on the injuries. I think if he, if he can come back, I think he'd be a a great option to play at centre-half, but i'm I'm not sure whether he'll be, he'll get the run out against Celtic. Yeah, because the only other name and when you take away Ming's, Torres, Onana,
00:18:17
Speaker
um is is Courtney Horse, the forgotten man. like I wonder if we could find the dark bits of Villa Park where he's hiding, I guess. But it seems like a big game to throw him in. I can't imagine him being very match fit or anything along those lines. So I'm struggling with anyone but Luca Dean going in there. but like that does scare me, that back, back four with, uh, Madison, who we've spoke volumes on how we've been impressed with him going forward, but as lacked in defense. And then when you now put Shluka Dean into a role that he's not familiar with against the Celtic team that really wants to take it to us as well, it's very worrying. And as for the rest of the field, I don't see any, any rotation, to be honest. I don't think Duran.
00:19:09
Speaker
will be given the nod after his involvement in the West Ham game. Let's put it that way. I don't think it was that noteworthy.
00:19:22
Speaker
ah So I think Watkins will start there. I think the midfield speaks withs for itself. And the only question mark really is who will partner Konza in that back line. And it's going to be a busy day for Konza. He's going to have to talk through everything to ensure that it's a good understanding because he's going to have a partner that he's not what used to working with.
00:19:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's a a real kind of conundrum for Unai Emery, I think. Potentially Bogard, I'm not sure what the thoughts are of him kind of slotting in at centre half. It seems to be a a kind of a relatively good fit, but but we are really running thin on the ground in terms of that position.
Champions League Journey Reflection
00:20:00
Speaker
And I think the sooner a a kind of a cover comes in for that, I think the better, because we don't know how long wings is going to be out for necessarily. But compared to Luca Dean, I tell you that. Yeah, absolutely.
00:20:13
Speaker
I think the thing with Luca Dean is it it didn't work against West Ham because I think his size and his positional sense was kind of... exposed a little bit and with Adam Ida being a particularly kind of strong and a target man type of player, I think you need somebody to kind of counter that and as much as Bogard isn't, he's kind of played here there and everywhere for us, he's sort of sat in the midfield, done a job at right back, we're kind of, he's the ultimate utility man for us this season which has come in handy, I think he he probably looks to be the most sort of suitable fit for that role, it doesn't fill me with confidence but
00:20:47
Speaker
Looking through the squad. There isn't a whole lot more a whole lot more cover for for that center back role We're gonna be back to continue our Celtic preview after a message from the global sports podcast network 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 and 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. So with automatic qualification on the line, looking back at our run in this kind of Champions League, league phase so far,
00:21:38
Speaker
kind of reflecting on Villa's campaign, how would you describe sort of how far we've got in this competition so far? Is it what you thought it was going to be? Are there any surprises surrounding how we've kind of approached it? And I suppose that looking ahead even further, it seems seems silly now to overlook it. But if we do end up having to play that knockout game, are there any particular opponents that you're kind of looking at early on?
00:22:02
Speaker
And essentially, if you would have asked me this before the Monaco, I would have had nothing but roses to talk about. I really would have. I feel the Monaco game was such a missed opportunity a because it would have really put the cherry on top of the cake if we would have got that and not had to worry as much going into this game um because Is what was the ted lasso quote? It's like the hope that kills you You know, I mean or something along those lines and it's exactly been that because we've gone so far so quick that now it's like Uh that carrot was dangled in front of you, but you just can't reach it So it's it's been a little disappointing the way it's ended but like the fact that we've had some great memories in particular the bi-unit game
00:22:48
Speaker
and to answer your question that's the reason why in the next round I just want to avoid buying Munich because I can't see them going anywhere other than full throttle against us to make up for that big mistake so I think if we can avoid buying I'd be a very happy man. Yeah but that's a really important point I think it's Our kind of Champions League campaign for me so far has very much in a similar way been reflective of our conference league campaign in the sense that we've looked really strong, we've created some great memories against some good sides, but ultimately it's the kind of the sides that we overlooked that have come back to bite us.
Predictions and Implications of Villa vs Celtic
00:23:28
Speaker
I think if we'd have kind of taken the mindset from the buying game, from the Leipzig game into you know the games against Bruges and Monaco and and hopefully into Celtic, I think we'd be in a lot stronger position and I think
00:23:41
Speaker
I don't know whether it's a mentality thing that this this villa team almost kind of carry themselves with a sense of um enjoying being the underdog but I think it's something that we we really struggle with going into games where we're we're almost expected to win and I think that's ah something that's plagued us throughout the Champions League campaign. um On the positive side as you mentioned we've created some great memories for fans, the Bayern Munich game being the obvious one, you know that that is another historic game that will kind of live long in the memory and that's exactly what these European competitions are all about, kind of creating those memories for
00:24:14
Speaker
but for this club when I know a lot of the the listeners and and me and you, we have kind of memories of playing Wigan on Tuesday nights and going to be in Bayern and the Champions League. It's a huge sort of um kind of ah suppose symbol of of how far this football club has come and hopefully in years to come we'll be in this competition a lot more often than and the ah the novelty of that Champions League music will become a a regular occurrence for us.
00:24:39
Speaker
In terms of looking up and down that kind of knockout table, there's some huge clubs still in that kind of knockout phase. You're looking at your Dortmund, you buy a Munich, as you mentioned, Real Madrid, Juventus, PSG are in there too. So a lot of clubs have, I suppose, quote unquote, underperformed. um and But then on the same score, Revenge Against Club Bruges would be nice. Celtic potentially even. um Some of the smaller sides, Lille, who obviously we played in the conference league, are in there.
00:25:07
Speaker
Monaco again, so there's some really interesting ties in there I think and um ah some really kind of good opportunities to progress through this knockout stage. um I think beating Celtic and and kind of progressing through to those automatics is obviously the aim for everybody. But I think if we do kind of fall into that knockout game, it's just another opportunity to ah create another memory for us, which is is really exciting. And of course, we can't do a preview episode without embarrassing ourselves with a score prediction.
00:25:37
Speaker
Craig, I'm going to go, what what what what are you thinking for it? Who are your goal scorers if there are any for this ah this huge clash? I think Watkins is going to show show for us tomorrow and i I'm going to say a Watkins Bryce too now. I like it. That would be brilliant. What an atmosphere that would be at Villa Park. I think it's going to be a slightly more tense affair. I'm going to go 2-1.
00:25:59
Speaker
and i'm I'm very much hoping Watkins gets one and I'm hoping Morgan Rogers can kind of get back to his, ah get his shooting boots back on and hopefully fire us through to automatic qualification. Hopefully with something in the last couple of minutes just to ramp up the tension even more at what will be hopefully ah a very kind of historical night for the for the club. And I'm sure the city will be thriving afterwards as well as it's filled by Villa and Celtic fans.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:26:27
Speaker
That is all we have time for on this episode of the Daily Villa Podcast. Thank you to Craig 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.