Are Villa In A Slump Or Are Expectations Now Wildly Unachievable | Vital Football

Are Villa In A Slump Or Are Expectations Now Wildly Unachievable

I thought we'd make top 10 minimum this season. That was based on the bottom half of the table last season being not much better than us last season even though we barely scraped home. Plus the signings we made and the experience we gained from last season. I'm not surprised we are where we are :grinning:

Leicester in their title winning season did it by not slumping under pressure of the season when everybody expected them to. I don't think we can manage that; this is still a new team learning to play together and there will be slumps. But I think we can hold onto 8th, plus or minus a couple of places. Below 10th would be disappointing but not a disaster. Below 12th very disappointing.

We need better midfielders to progress; it's where the difference is made. Maybe Sanson is one, if he ever gets onto the pitch. But I think where people's frustrations come from is a feeling that we should be doing better (not having such slumps) with the players we've got. Normally managers succeed by working with the talent at their disposal. Maybe DS is determined to play it his way even if the players can't do it. Maybe long term he's right, but we survived last season by him adapting, and maybe it would be better if he did that now; getting a good final position matters. Flexibility helps.
 
To Channel my inner Rafa, here are some FACTS:
1. We are the youngest team in the league
2. We are eighth, with games in hand
3. We are the only club in the league to have made a significant signing in the January window
4. We are currently holding our highest league position in about ten years
5. We have the best English player in the world as captain and on a long term contract
6. We have the best goalkeeper in the league, backed up by arguably the best English keeper in the league
7. We have beaten the defending champions by a 5-goal margin, have done the double over Arsenal and have a 1-1 record against the team currently in third place
8. We have kept clean sheets in more than half of our games (12/23)
9. We have scored 37 goals so far, 10 more than the entire 2015-16 season
10. Only three teams have kept a clean sheet against us all season
 
gmvillan said:
To Channel my inner Rafa, here are some FACTS:
1. We are the youngest team in the league
2. We are eighth, with games in hand
3. We are the only club in the league to have made a significant signing in the January window
4. We are currently holding our highest league position in about ten years
5. We have the best English player in the world as captain and on a long term contract
6. We have the best goalkeeper in the league, backed up by arguably the best English keeper in the league
7. We have beaten the defending champions by a 5-goal margin, have done the double over Arsenal and have a 1-1 record against the team currently in third place
8. We have kept clean sheets in more than half of our games (12/23)
9. We have scored 37 goals so far, 10 more than the entire 2015-16 season
10. Only three teams have kept a clean sheet against us all season
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Massive over reaction by some as usual, every team will have a slump in form at some point in the season. Even Man City had a slow start and everyone wrote them off - the title was Liverpools again according to many. Now the Scousers are worried they wont make top 4 and Man City look like they'll win it by 12+ points.
Win our 2 games in hand and we move up to 6th, which will put us in Europe unless some random teams get to the cup final.
 
Well that’s all very pleasant reading but I address you all to the words of the last manager that presented us with a league title. There are only two games that matter, the last one and the next one - and that’s what I’m concerned about and interested in. The assessment of what went wrong (and right) in the last match is what this site should be all about. And it is, except that some want to associate discussion and differences of opinion about tactics and strategy as an attack on the manager and criticism of our expectations. I don’t get that at all!
 
I dont think anyone is saying there's a problem with criticism and discussing who should play, game plan etc. Its the bizarre over reactions to a defeat that we find ridiculous. Comments that unless Barkley is dropped for the next game or we dont beat Leeds then Deano needs to be replaced, talk of a relegation battle when realistically we only need 3 or 4 points from 15 games to survive. We hear it from some every time we lose a game, or draw against a team we consider inferior to us.
There is no denying that our great start to the season has seen expectations raised massively
 
Wicked Messenger said:
Well that’s all very pleasant reading but I address you all to the words of the last manager that presented us with a league title. There are only two games that matter, the last one and the next one - and that’s what I’m concerned about and interested in. The assessment of what went wrong (and right) in the last match is what this site should be all about. And it is, except that some want to associate discussion and differences of opinion about tactics and strategy as an attack on the manager and criticism of our expectations. I don’t get that at all!
Click to expand...

I agree mate , just because a manager was or player got us promoted or won 10 on the trot football is all about the here and now, criticism is justified as much as praise is when we win. Even if we win like at Southampton, criticism is fair as we never really deserved to win that one. Just as there are games we've played well in and lost.
We are a bit of a mixed bag at the moment so some things are right and some are wrong
 
not sure were in a slump i think we have just become far too easy to play against
any manager thats worth there salt will watch videos of how we play and have worked out that if they shut down jack then that stops us playing and becoming a danger in the final 3rd thats why we have started hoofing the ball long maybe deano needs to change things and maybe play 3.5.2 or 4.4.2 we really look weak in midfield at the moment and the passing is shocking anyone can keep passing the ball about at the back but im sure the idea is to play the ball away from our goal area and end up in the final 3rd but we struggle to get past the half way line before it starts going back to mings so he can hoof it
 
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