[Pronewbie]

New manager bounce. Villa played really well and with a point to prove. Ronaldo shouldn't be our focal point in attack. We have key players out but nonetheless need more creativity up-front.

 

[DevTheRed]

VDB can't play in this league, can't wait for Ronaldo to feck off, need better depth on the RW, ETH needs to admit when to change sooner and I can't help but feel that 4-3-3 would suit this team so much better.

All in all we're still shite.

 

[Elcabron]

All on ETH today. Shite team selection and even worse subs. Ronaldo and dvb should never play for us again

 

[Red00012]

VDB has slotted into Lingard’s role quiet well

 

[LARulz]

Appalling

You just know when Ronaldo starts we won't play well as a team, let alone win. Add Cleverly, I mean Donny, to the mix and it's 2 passengers from the go. Rashford was anonymous. Garnacho the only decent attacker relatively

Massively out run in midfield and Ten Hag not throwing Fred on at half time for Donny was ridiculous

 

[DevilRed]

I just hope it doesn't take us 5 fecking years like it did for arteta.

The board needs to back ETH with new players.

Once we started getting injuries to key players (Varane, Antony, even Martial) we started to go downhill. Predictable really.

 

[predator]

It seems like we have no squad depth yet again, despite spending a lot of money recently.

 

[RuudTom83]

The squad depth got exposed...missed Bruno/Antony for creativity and missed Varane at the back.

Plus, Ronaldo is OLD...can't get away from it.

 

[Globule]

This one is on the previous managers in my eyes. Our squad is poor and we still need investment.

 

[stevoc]

You can't go into a game with DVB and Ronaldo it's basically like playing with 9 men and it showed today.

 

[Black Adder]

Brilliant team selection, played with purpose and intent, Cristiano showed he should be only captain from now on.

Am I doing this right @phelans shorts ?

 

[Ayoba]

Good old United, we're back!!!! (To being shite)

 

[Hugh Jass]

Were we tired? From midweek. Looked at the team before the match and said we would struggle.

Id play the reserves against them on thursday. I feel the players need a rest.

 

[Matt007a]

A reminder of how thin the squad is really. Lindelof, Donny, Ronaldo, Elanga etc are not good enough even as backup players.

This is what will happen this season on and off until ETH gets more of the players he needs.

 

[KirkDuyt]

Who knew the key to beating United os sacking Steven Gerrard. Pool must be fuming.

 

[Okey]

Wretched performance. Kick in the teeth. Not like we didn't know, but were still a long long way off being competitive. Work in progress will be my consolation phrase.

 

[Marcus]

With VdB and Ronaldo in the team you are playing with 9 players pretty much

Time for the youth to show the seniors how it's done in the League Cup.

 

[golden_blunder]

We didn’t replace Bruno’s energy. We should have had Fred in there.

that and Watkins’s being made to look like a world class forward

 

[JustKatie]

*sigh* couldn't they kept slippy for a few more games. Yes, yes second string players but we were so poor.
Is this just yet ANOTHER false dawn? Gosh I hope not.

 

[Andre Kagawa]

Feck me, I'm so fed up with Ronaldo

 

[phelans shorts]

Brilliant team selection, played with purpose and intent, Cristiano showed he should be only captain from now on.

Am I doing this right @phelans shorts ?

feck me, you’re a bit dense aren’t you

 

[NICanRed]

The only consolation - much as I dislike Emery at least it wasn’t Slippy G!

 

[onemanarmy]

We don't have the luxury to play on Thursday in Europe and play on Sunday when missing Bruno, Sancho, Antony and Varane. Martial not fit either. It was clear the Villa team was a lot better rested.

It's pretty obvious we need a striker and strengthen the squad. Ronaldo, VDB and Lindelof not good enough.

Villa with the new manager bounce too. It happens.

 

[always_hoping]

If only Villa was still managed by Steven Gerrard!

A new manager bounce with scoring 2 goals in the opening minutes. After that Villa didn't have to play overly well to hold onto to that 2 goal margin victory and their first home win against United since 1995.

A setback for United, need more investment in that squad, lack of goals and creativity big concern.

 

[bond19821982]

With Lindelof you need an aggressive midfield to take control of the midfield. With Eriksen and Donny, the midfield was flat and passive. We lost the game there.

All 3 goals were because of the midfield not attempting to cover or being less aggressive.

 

[Quagmire Maguire]

Can't believe the clamour to renew Rashfords contract, jury is still very much out on him! World cup couldn't come soon enough we need Varane back. Ronaldo captained today's side, damning indictment of Ten Hag there.

 

[Rauður Djöfull]

what are Ronaldo's mates in the press gonna say now?
Hope Keane and Ferdinand are happy

He is so finished, get him out of the club, shocked about the fact he walks out of stadium, is out of squad for one game, comes back and is captain 2-3 weeks later (even though it's just one game) and our teamc can't function with him in it, get rid ASAP

ETH should have played Fred instead of DVB, he can't compete in PL, done nothing for us since arriving and him and Eriksen looks a weak combo in every aspect

 

[Dannn411]

We may be the worst team going forward in the entire league. Even with Sancho, Antony
and Bruno in the team we create absolutely nothing vast majority of the time. Waste of time watching this team once they go down in a game. Even after spending so much money we still need so many players because this squad as currently constructed is going nowhere fast.

 

[Freak]

ETH deserves all the criticism he gets today. Very poor team selection, subs and game management. Say what you want about Maguire but he’s a better defender than Lindelof and should be ahead of Lindelof.

 

[Betson]

Very comfortable for Villa , they won't get an easier game this season.

For us this has been coming , very lucky to hang on at home last week for the win where we were poor for most parts again.

This season has the ominously similar look to many of other season where we fade out to mediocre 6th, 7th or 8th again. The squad is just not strong enough for a top 4 challenge , the likes of Newcastle and Arsenal have surpassed us and will only get stronger.

We are lucky in a way the world cup is coming with the form we are currently in.

 

[mitchmouse]

Awful from start to finish. Surely a manager says make sure not to concede early and at half time, when you have done so, to be extra tight at the start of the second half. Amateurish

 

[largelyworried]

Bad day at the office. After 7 wins and 2 draws in the last 9 games, one was going to turn up eventually. Not something I'm overly worried about in terms of our long term development, but it stings on the day, especially with our rivals playing each other.

Basic problem is a lack of squad depth. You can't take four senior attackers out of this squad and still manage up front. VDB and Ronaldo just not good enough, Garnacho not ready. Rashford had an off day, which isn't a problem if you have 5 or 6 attackers to choose from. We don't.

But at the end of the day, this is why we're only hoping for top four and not challenging at the top. Give us back Martial (as starter), Antony, Bruno and Sancho plus, say, Osimhen and Gakpo and it's an entirely different proposition. But it's going to take another season or two to build that quality in the squad.

Til then, better get used to these bloody noses, they'll keep happening from time to time. Doesn't mean we aren't heading in that right direction overall.

 

[DevilRed]

I know everyone is disappointed and being slightly knee jerk, but we've played far too many matches already, and with minimal rotation.

This was coming for a while now. October schedule was an absolute joke. The most matches we've played in a month in our entire 100+ year history.

We really need to rest players midweek even if it means throwing some of the competitions we're in. I don't even care if we crash out of Europa League if it means we just focus on 4th place.

 

[SuperiorXI]

This is one of those sobering results that remind you of where we are. Going into the game we were within reach of the top spots if we got the points but now we look far away again.

Ultimately a lot went for Aston Villa today. New manager bounce, we had loads of key injuries and on top of that did not show up. Really poor.

 

[RepardReece]

Was always going to happen this season. We'll see a few more of these performances before the end of the season.

Overall a very poor game, onto the next.

 

[MonkeysMagic]

The really worrying thing is, we have no creative spark and can't score from the chances we do create. With Varane out, I expected a return to dogshit defending so it has been shown.

Even more worrying is the utter lack of threat from set pieces, I cannot recall a more passive team from corners/free kicks then us. Villa had their cup final but our players cannot be expected to play well all games, quite frankly they are not good enough for that.

 

[Red & White]

Nothing unusual. We usually bottle it when we’re in a good position to get in or around the CL places.

 

[flameinthesun]

To be expected. Very similar trajectory to klopps first season.When all our players are fit and fresh we look exciting, but as fatigue and injuries mount up we struggle. Our squad just doesn't have the quality, and when added to the hectic fixture list these last couple games were always going to be an uphill battle.

In terms of Ten Hag not changing the system, the likes of pep and klopp did the same in their first year, bulldozed through the season with the ups and and downs of playing their systems with a less than optimal squad. At the end of the day if we want to get ten hag ball embedded in this club then we have to stick with it through the ups and downs.

 

[OldSchoolManc]

Bad day at the office. Ronaldo is completely finished but he actually seemed to put in more effort than Rashford who was invisible.
At least the point is being made that we still need 2 top class striker options.
Only need 2 average performances to break this team on a match day and today we had 5 at least. VDB has no chances left.

 

[Widow]

We are struggling to score more than one goal a game. It was obvious after they took a two-goal lead that the game was lost.