Emiliano! The Emir Of The Goalmouth

In the perishing cold that can be experienced at Brighton on a winter's day (I remember such an experience there at a business course I attended many years ago), our valiant custodian - Emiliano Martinez - had little time to freeze up. In contrast, his opposite number had so little to do that if one shot from us had gone near him late on he would most likely have been too frozen to save it!

Such was the state of affairs at the Amex stadium last night. Against bottom-half sides, we are again and again being shown up by teams that are well-organised and designed to repel invaders as well as to keep the opposition pinned in their own half. Last night, however, was perhaps the strongest example of that approach.

Brighton went into this match having been undefeated in five matches, but in each of those matches they had not scored more than one goal. Their shyness in front of goal is partly why we escaped punishment last night, but the major reason for our escape was Emi.

Emi must already rate as one of the best goalkeepers Villa have ever had, and his style reminds me of Nigel Sims at his best (1956-61), a keeper that I still regard as the best Villa keeper in my lifetime. Not long after Nigel came Colin Withers - another great shot-stopper. Both of these great men regularly kept Villa out of trouble in troublesome times and both have not long departed from us. Emi is the latest reason why Villa are maintaining a relatively high position in the table.

What passed for a Villa outfield was a shambles by comparison, with defenders bypassing their midfield partners with long balls. I have come to strongly disagree with Dean that it's just the defence that is not protecting the keeper well enough on occasions. Why blame them so much when Villa's midfield cannot cope, thereby letting through the invading hordes?  It has not been seen just in this match but other matches too - most recently at Southampton, where we somehow sneaked a winner.

In the current setup, as I have said before, we are light in front of defence, though McGinn and Luiz can play a good ball on their day. Further forward, and perhaps more seriously, I am seeing Barkley as being short of stamina and commitment. 

Furthermore, Barkley's placing on the field keeps Jack strapped on the wing too much and opponents have learnt how to deal with him out there. To get the best out of Jack he needs to roam freely, and supporting forward players also to adjust their playing roles to fit his. While I'm confident that Traore and Watkins can do that, I see Barkley - sadly - as an encumbrance.

So, dear friends, it's surely time to get Sanson started i.m.o. Lying behind Jack, Traore and Ollie he can fulfil two needs - one to help stop the rampaging of attacking hordes, and (two) to feed the three in front of him. Barkley - if fit - could probably do that, but for whatever reason, he looks to me as though he's out of sorts.

With Leicester next up - another well-organised side - some adjustment is needed, please, Dean. 

Our manager has done pretty well since he came - as Rob Bishop has rightly said - but a lot of that is to do with the excellent ownership and management now in place at Villa. Surely Dean can see that something needs to be adjusted tactically, and not just the imposition of extra concentration in the minds of the defence?

UTV!

If you would like to gain a bit more knowledge about our favourite club, why not take a look at the greatly updated Club History section of my originally researched Home Of Aston Villa History site - team pics are included. The whole site also includes a complete record of all competitive matches as well as details of all the key players in Villa's history, and much else besides. Many thanks.