Aston Villa vs THE SUPER CLARETS Match Thread

[BurnleyFC]

At least it wasn’t a tonking but the result was predictable.

[Pickles]

It's glaringly obvious to me we need to play three central midfielders. I just don't know why we aren't doing.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Frustrating match this. We've done ok, but you can't help feeling we didn't start the right XI. Some obviously like the 5 at the back, I really don't. Sacrificing Les on midfield for Laurent at the back is plain stupid.

JBL should be nowhere near the squad. Broja ditto until he's scoring in the 21s.

Fair.

I would add to that not really going for it when behind, Edwards should be on as a gamble, he is the only player capable of holding onto the ball around their box without panic and maybe drawing a foul.

OK but very frustrating is how I would also summarise it.

[SGr]

I think that's a game we need to win.

And I think pigs need to fly

[Belial]

Yeah, it did actually, we scored and started controlling the game.

[elwaclaret]

Far too passive, we really need to give teams something to think about defensively. Saying that I don’t think I’ve seen another team so blatantly take every opportunity to break the game up with play acting bar Arsenal than Villa did, quite surprised by their antics. I think Rodger's should seek medical help he clearly has a condition that makes any contact life threatening.

We really need to start attacking the opposition though, that is my takeaway from that. Even in the last fifteen we didn’t look like we were ready to really go for it. Disappointing.

[Bacchus]

Clearly disappointing aspects to that performance but it's another example of what we're up against in this league. I doubt any of us could name a single Burnley player that would get into Villa's side. Most wouldn't even get onto their subs bench.

We can talk systems all we like but ultimately the gap in player quality is what will kill us most weeks.

[Pickles]

Yeah, it did actually, we scored and started controlling the game.

At no point today did we control the game. At absolute best we're capable of stringing two or three passes together before losing it. That isn't controlling the game.

[jojomk1]

It's glaringly obvious to me we need to play three central midfielders. I just don't know why we aren't doing.

Exactly
We need to be 4-5-1, 4-3-3 when pressing
Parkler sets up with the hope of snatching a point - even at home

[JimmyRobbo]

Big pressure on next game tactical changes and formation and personel must win game

No. No bigger pressure than there woould be. Certainly isn't a "must win" game.

It's important if we can but there's no need to apportion that level of risk. Helps nobody.

More important we don't lose but we need to pick up points from somewhere. Liverpool and Man U games were just as important points.

[Boss Hogg]

Things we have learned from today.
We are better with a back four.
Laurent is NOT a centre back.
We need Ugochukwu's physicality in midfield.
Bruun Larsen is not fit.
Broja is not ready to play in the Premier League.
Dubravka is a fantastic 'keeper.
We need a centre forward.
Hopefully Parker will feel the same about some of these.

We knew all this already.

[ollieclarets8]

It gets to a point where we need to screw the 5 at the back.

If you have 2 defensive midfielders infront of a back 4, that really should be enough and it means we have the obvious 3 in central midfield.

[Boss Hogg]

We continue to set up like this then we will be relegated. If we don’t sign a decent striker thats fit and a decent central defender ( like we should have done pre season) then we will be relegated.

[Pickles]

Exactly
We need to be 4-5-1, 4-3-3 when pressing
Parkler sets up with the hope of snatching a point - even at home

Being inadequate in both boxes will be our undoing - understandably as strikers especially cost a lot of money.

But the one place we do have the players is in midfield. Cullen, Ugochukwu and Florentino is about as good a middle three as we could hope for. Mind-boggling.

[Goody1975]

If we revert to the back four we are craving. The majority of our play goes down our left, Hartman will bomb on and work in tandem with Anthony. When this happens Walker should shuffle across and support the two centre halfs.

Have Tino, Cullen and Ugochukwu in the centre of the park and balance the side with somebody doing a job in the right.

This is where the issues are, we have a couple of holes in the squad that we are struggling to fill, one is right centre back and the other is the right side of midfield, these were obvious when the window closed.

[bart_claret]

Let's look on the bright side. Oh hang on...

[Rileybobs]

That was probably the most concerning performance of the season so far for me. A game where there were realistic points to be won and a really poor performance.

Wrong system
Players out of position
A number of players looking miles off the required level
Yet more naivety shown - Florentino staying down following a mild touch on his face forcing him to leave us down to 10 men for the crucial 30 seconds. Then Broja failing to realise that it is down to him to sit in.

Just really poor all round and we didn’t deserve to even get into a position where a point was a possibility in the dying stages.

Lots of work to do during the international break. Most notably and importantly for Parker to figure out a system that not only gets our best players on the pitch, but has us competing at both ends of the pitch.

[ollieclarets8]

Let's look on the bright side. Oh hang on...

100 points next season?

[rosswallacefreekick]

Broja reminds me a bit of John Gayle so far. And I remember one game where big John tried to head it but shouldered it into the onion bag. If take that from Broja right now.

I bet we didn’t pay £20m for John Gayle…

[Goody1975]

We continue to set up like this then we will be relegated. If we don’t sign a decent striker thats fit and a decent central defender ( like we should have done pre season) then we will be relegated.

We have to give the strikers (whoever they are/will be) a chance, the setup sees them feeding off scraps.

[CoolClaret]

At no point today did we control the game. At absolute best we're capable of stringing two or three passes together before losing it. That isn't controlling the game.

We were winning the midfield battle in the last twenty, pressing them well and getting the ball in better areas - to me that's controlling the game, ok not complete domination but we were dictating the play.

[Procrastinate B]

Our start last-season was frustrating, with Parker getting strongly criticised. In the end he was proved right to stick to his guns.

In the Prem, similarly the start has been frustrating - only at this level every lapse in concentration has generally lead to conceding a goal. We got away with it by and large at Champ level.

I’m not writing us off yet. The run of games has been horrendous, it really has, but Scott still deserves patience.

[Woodleyclaret]

Playing against cheats is always difficult especially with a fool like Kitchen in charge
Why Big Les didnt start in cm is a mystery. I think we did ok but allowing the same player to score is unfortunate.We were too dithery in front of goal
The Villa tactic of knobbling Anthony paid off it was a shame Scott took too long to see he was injured and needed subbing. Overall a fair attempt but we need to get savvy at this level quickly to survive.

[Pickles]

We were winning the midfield battle in the last twenty, pressing them well and getting the ball in better areas - to me that's controlling the game, ok not complete domination but we were dictating the play.

We weren't. We were better than we had been and started pressing something like we should've been all game. But it was far from controlling the game. Opinions though.

[Steddyman]

Parker and Premier League are not a good combination

Give it up RVN, we aren't interested in you. Find another club to infiltrate.

[Safron]

No. No bigger pressure than there woould be. Certainly isn't a "must win" game.

It's important if we can but there's no need to apportion that level of risk. Helps nobody.

More important we don't lose but we need to pick up points from somewhere. Liverpool and Man U games were just as important points.

Not many games at home where the opposition like Leeds is a game that we should be very competitive and be looking to win , if we go in to that game at home with the same tactics and personel what is the point, we need massively target our home games to get points because away so far we are shite .

[claretgimmer]

Difference is having a slow start last year was compensated by the string of victories that followed, don`t see us stringing back to back wins at this level unless Parker wises up and puts some fire in the bellies of some of our players I couldn`t believe the laid back playing like we were three up approach going into the last 10 minutes when we needed an equaliser

[FCBurnley]

Foster and Broja are not even close to PL quality. Les Luis and Cullen are an excellent midfield. Flemming gave more in his 10 mins that Foster and Broja combined.
Time for some tough love Scott

[Taffy on the wing]

Foster is fine....just needs some help up front.

[Taffy on the wing]

We missed Ekdal today.

[Steddyman]

Foster and Broja are not even close to PL quality. Les Luis and Cullen are an excellent midfield. Flemming gave more in his 10 mins that Foster and Broja combined.
Time for some tough love Scott

Flemming was terrible when he came on.

[fidelcastro]

We missed Ekdal today.

I'm guessing that's sarcasm?

[fidelcastro]

Foster is fine....just needs some help up front.

From a striking coach and a psychologist, presumably?

[Taffy on the wing]

I'm guessing that's sarcasm?

Not in the slightest......he's a very good player who organizes our defense.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Our start last-season was frustrating, with Parker getting strongly criticised. In the end he was proved right to stick to his guns.

In the Prem, similarly the start has been frustrating - only at this level every lapse in concentration has generally lead to conceding a goal. We got away with it by and large at Champ level.

I’m not writing us off yet. The run of games has been horrendous, it really has, but Scott still deserves patience.

He didn’t stick to his guns though. He adapted from Feb 1st, took more risks, signed a “lightweight” player who changed our season, and was praised for it.

This season we have reverted out of fear to the risk averse approach that saw all those 0-0s. There has to be some pragmatism of course, we cannot afford a repeat of Kompany with just 2 clean sheets.

[fidelcastro]

Not in the slightest......he's a very good player who organizes our defense.

Not at City he didn't... or Spurs, or United.

[Taffy on the wing]

Not at City he didn't... or Spurs, or United.

Go & have an argument with yourself in the mirror...beyond tedious!

[fidelcastro]

Go & have an argument with yourself in the mirror...beyond tedious!

Just responding to your post about Ekdal, which I simply don't agree with.

[Procrastinate B]

He didn’t stick to his guns though. He adapted from Feb 1st, took more risks, signed a “lightweight” player who changed our season, and was praised for it.

This season we have reverted out of fear to the risk averse approach that saw all those 0-0s. There has to be some pragmatism of course, we cannot afford a repeat of Kompany with just 2 clean sheets.

Admittedly, I’m an exile so wasn’t on the Turf; but from what I could see after a start which decimated our starting XI he had to do what he needed to do with a bunch of strangers playing with each other.

Once the transfer window opened Edwards made a huge difference in building on that and off we went.

Like I said, I wasn’t there so can only comment as an armchair fan, but Scott was getting pelters when what he was doing for months on end (and was criticised, game after game) ended up setting us up for promotion.

I’m still positive, genuinely. Win the next two, or even four points, and we’ll all feel better. And we can win them.

[Taffy on the wing]

Just responding to your post about Ekdal, which I simply don't agree with.

Bore-off!

[fidelcastro]

Bore-off!

Oh dear... far be it from me to have a different opinion!

[Vino blanco]

When I saw the starting line up with Laurent in thr team playing whatever that role is supposed to be, I said on here it was all too defensive. Add to that a powder puff front three of Tchaouni, Foster and Anthony, we got what we deserved...absolutely nothing. Parker needs to change his mentality and at least try and get us on the front foot from the start. Drop Laurent, he 's just a waste of a player, Les has to start, change the front three by playing two strikers (Foster and Flemming?). If we carry on as we are it will be a case of "we didn't play badly again but got nulles points", which is a recipe for relegation.

[Holmechapel]

Ekdal is much better on the ball coming out from the back than Tuanzebe.

[Goody1975]

Ekdal is much better on the ball coming out from the back than Tuanzebe.

He is but if we play a back four with Ekdal then Walker is going to have to stay at home more often than not, we cannot leave the two centre halfs isolated.

I'm sure the recruitment team are trying to find an athletic and dominant centre half to partner Esteve in January.

[Cirrus_Minor]

Three centre backs and no-one was within a parsec of Malen for their first goal. Also when Villa were running at us we seemed to step aside and fall back. Once we were losing and pushed more forward we looked far better. Parker needs to be braver and cease this failed experiment with a back 3, it's not working.

[beddie]

We missed Ekdal today.

Personally I don’t think we did, what we did miss was some urgency from back to front, it was slow and frustrating at times. The first goal was an awful piece of defending from Esteve.

[Holmechapel]

He is but if we play a back four with Ekdal then Walker is going to have to stay at home more often than not, we cannot leave the two centre halfs isolated.

I'm sure the recruitment team are trying to find an athletic and dominant centre half to partner Esteve in January.

Do you think SP was hoping to play Walker at CB before Roberts got injured?

[beeholeclaret]

Clearly disappointing aspects to that performance but it's another example of what we're up against in this league. I doubt any of us could name a single Burnley player that would get into Villa's side. Most wouldn't even get onto their subs bench.

We can talk systems all we like but ultimately the gap in player quality is what will kill us most weeks.

At last somebody who has realistically summed up Burnley’s situation and pointed out the key factors which means we are unlikely to be outplaying Premier League clubs like Aston Billa on their own ground. We have a number of new players who are trying to settle in as a team and learn how to play together. If we go out and try to play Villa off the park we would probably be heading for another 5-1. They are a club owned by billionaires playing in front of 40000 plus in England’s 2nd city. Although they’ve had a slow start to the season they have potentially explosive fire compared to us who have struggled to get a striker to provide competition up front.

We do need to get into our stride but trying to blend as a team and presented with probably the most difficult start to the season of any PL club is so tough.

[dougcollins]

I’m not writing us off yet. The run of games has been horrendous, it really has, but Scott still deserves patience.

Yeah, it's terrible having to play all these Premier League teams, isn't it.

[warksclaret]

Just back-Villa were nothing like last year. Its games like todays where we can and should steal a point but we lacked any penetration up front. Parker has some big decisions to make re the starting 11, but one thing for sure we are too poor a PL side to leave Ugochaoumu out. Needs to start at expense of Lauren. Some positives though-Luis gave one of the best all round midfield performances I have seen in a Burnley shirt over a very long period. Dubrovka proved again is an excellent keeper and Josh Cullen will always give you 100% as he did today.Walker was very good too. BIg decision who starts upfront-Foster has the power but runs into dead ends. Could easily see Flemming starting next game . Broja just seemed to amble deding little to our attacks