Villa post match thread

[Craig_H]

It's all about confidence. Nothing to do with shackles being loosened, or attitude. Just confidence. It also helps when we play against a team who actually come to play football.

Obviously confidence is huge but if you honestly think we generally start games at that ridiculously high tempo and go at teams in the way we did today, then you're watching a different team.

I'll concur that confidence gives them the freedom to actually come flying out the traps, certainly.

[Shaggy]

Obviously confidence is huge but if you honestly think we generally start games at that ridiculously high tempo and go at teams in the way we did today, then you're watching a different team.

I don't.

I'll concur that confidence gives them the freedom to actually come flying out the traps, certainly.

So you agree then.

[Craig_H]

I don't.



So you agree then.

You're confusing me, you manc ****bag

Do you actually agree that we started with a higher tempo today than we usually do? If so, you agree with me

I dont think it's down to one thing alone, it's a combination. Confidence is obviously a big part, but i think it's clear that the players were instructed to go straight at them from the off today. If that happened in every game, whilst we're not always going to match the same level of performance, very few sides would cope with it.

[Shaggy]

You're confusing me, you manc ****bag

Do you actually agree that we started with a higher tempo today than we usually do? If so, you agree with me

I dont think it's down to one thing alone, it's a combination. Confidence is obviously a big part, but i think it's clear that the players were instructed to go straight at them from the off today. If that happened in every game, whilst we're not always going to match the same level of performance, very few sides would cope with it.

Of course I agree that the tempo we began with today hasn't been replicated every week - but that's impossible. We have, though, seen Rafa's teams explode out of the blocks many times. I agree that no-one can live with us when we play like that.

[Shaggy]

I havent watched the game back yet, but if that's true, it's ****ing pathetic.

I honestly think there's a bit of xenohphobia at work. Rafa's the funny little foreign man who speaks with a bit of an accent and he's come here to show the natives how it's done - him succeeding is two fingers upto all the little englanders out there and i get the distinct feeling that the whole little englander thing is endemic within Sky Sports.

It's true alright.

Gray and Hawthorne mentioned it several times, then of course after the game Keys went to town on it. It was glaringly obvious that he was scraping the barrel to try and criticise Benitez. Unbelievably, Sky then showed a sequence of Rafa's reactions to all five goals, and proceeded to mock him for his lack of smiles.

Then Shreeves interviewed him and his first question was along the lines of "Rafa you played really well today, but still you don't smile..."

FFS.

[Joe King]

Stelling?

[Shaggy]

I meant Shreeves.

[Craig_H]

Of course I agree that the tempo we began with today hasn't been replicated every week - but that's impossible. We have, though, seen Rafa's teams explode out of the blocks many times. I agree that no-one can live with us when we play like that.

I'll give you that, it's very hard to repeat that exact same tempo all the time. But i dont think we do it nearly enough. I hope it's something we see more often, an early blitz can result in a game being won by 20-30 minutes.

[Joe King]

I meant Shreeves.

[Craig_H]

It's true alright.

Gray and Hawthorne mentioned it several times, then of course after the game Keys went to town on it. It was glaringly obvious that he was scraping the barrel to try and criticise Benitez. Unbelievably, Sky then showed a sequence of Rafa's reactions to all five goals, and proceeded to mock him for his lack of smiles.

Then Shreeves interviewed him and his first question was along the lines of "Rafa you played really well today, but still you don't smile..."

FFS.

It's pathetic, it really is.

Sky is the hallmark Premier League football broadcaster in this country, the 'industry standard' if you like. Whilst they have their idiot moments, they're generally good at what they do and are usually pretty professional and credible but Richard Keys is a cringeworthily embarrassing primate.

[Chris]

It's true alright.

Gray and Hawthorne mentioned it several times, then of course after the game Keys went to town on it. It was glaringly obvious that he was scraping the barrel to try and criticise Benitez. Unbelievably, Sky then showed a sequence of Rafa's reactions to all five goals, and proceeded to mock him for his lack of smiles.

Then Shreeves interviewed him and his first question was along the lines of "Rafa you played really well today, but still you don't smile..."

FFS.

Sky annoy me with the "Zonal marking" "rotation" "Steven Gerrards position" garbage but ultimately it doesnt really bother me, this got me ****ing fuming because it become personal against someone. Shreeves simply doesnt dare speak to other managers the way he does to Benitez either, stupid questions, patronising, the lot. It always Ferguson throwing the tantrums yet if Benitez ****ed these off they could have no complaints at all.

What is it next? His dress sense, how he doesnt wear a top with the club badge on like the great Martin O''Neill? The criticism is absolutely relentless.

[wiw]

Oooooooooooh Campione
the one and only
we're Liverpool
said our days are numbered we're not famous anymore
but scousers rule the country like we've always done before
OOOOOOh CAMPIONE
THE ONE AND ONLY

[-V-]

Awesome, just awesome. Could not have asked for a better performance, particularly in terms of how fast we were to get started.

On paper, pre-match, it was obvious we were far superior and we certainly went out there and showed it.

Special credit to Riera for the ground that he covered for his goal. When the ball was coming into Reina's hands Riera was standing on the edge of his own box but bolted the length of the park in about 3 seconds to score. Amazing

[Ben_Itez]

Agreed Keys is a cretin of the highest order.

Interesting to see Redknapp proclaim that Gerrard is the 'no doubt the best player in the world in that position'. Kind of acknowledging that Rafa has been right all along by playing him there when he, along with all of the Sky pundits, constantly used it as a stick to beat him with for not playing him in centre midfield.

It'll be interesting to hear and watch what they'd all have to say if we won the title. Would zonal marking be the new way forward? Rafa a tactical genius? Playing two deep sitting midfielders a masterstroke? Would they finally praise him for our success or would it simply be all down to Gerrard and Torres and the Scum throwing it away?

We played excellently today without really hitting full stride and if we can keep our first 11 fit and firing we'll have the best chance of winning the title in years and years.

[TheElephantMan]

We're hitting form at just the right time, an indication that Rafa's rotation works over the course of a whole season? Our star striker was having a bad day and we still won five nil. That result must give the team so much confidence - Aston Villa might have lost some form, but they're still a good side. Gerrard is without any shadow of doubt the best player in the World right now. We're a joy to watch, let's keep this going and we can definitely win the title this year.