Seeing that Leeds were beaten 6-0 at Liverpool last night, I quickly recalled that Leeds shipped four against Man U in the previous match (4-2 result) and lost 3-0 at Everton before that, following our 3-3 draw. Neither Man U nor Everton can be said to playing well of late.
On top of all that, Watford was walloped at home last night by Crystal Palace.
How do we view these results against our recent opposition in terms of Aston Villa's team issues?
Well, firstly, we all know that we threw away a 3-1 lead against Leeds having demonstrated how vulnerable their defence was and how we briefly demonstrated a real talent in our more forward players, but we then spent the rest of the match showing our own propensity to be both vulnerable and easily suppressed in the attack. That latter 'quality' re-emerged in the following two matches, most recently vs. Watford.
It looks to me as though we have simply become predictable. The opposition coaches can see how to play us as we just do not have a proper cutting edge to our game, despite all the hype about Coutinho, Ramsey and Buendia, who actually has been unduly criticised by Gabby, i.m.o., for his apparent lack of contribution. Gabby says that Buendia has only scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist, yet I can clearly recall that Ings has passed up at least 3 gilt-edged chances provided by Buendia in the season to date. If the strike force is not performing, you cannot knock the provider.
Having said all that, Villa's midfield does not cut through enough, so there is an issue there. All-in-all, we mostly look ponderous in attack, and that includes the two very expensive strikers. So, the first area for my attention would be the strikers; I just cannot help but think that Cameron Archer in partnership with Watkins could be a really deadly combo. Further, we should only play two out of Coutinho, Ramsey and Buendia, with one acting as a sub for another when appropriate. And - somewhere - a place for a properly energised Bailey.
Problem is, Archer is probably not recallable right now. How he was let go is something I cannot fathom, particularly in the light of how he shone against Chelsea in the League Cup - and scored, too.
Perhaps it could be Watkins and Bailey, therefore, supported by two out of Coutinho, Ramsey and Buendia.
In the defensive area, surely Luiz has to drop out and be replaced (I would have hoped) by Sanson, but I see that Gerrard appears to be considering playing Chambers in that role in front of the defence with Konsa now available, and it just might work.
Unless something radical in attack and in front of defence is put in place, then I do not know what might happen. This upcoming match against Brighton will be tough as they will surely have felt really stung by last week's home defeat at the hands of Burnley - who we have still to meet!
It's a case of "Wake Up!" and then "Up The Villa!"
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