The defence has been Villa’s shining light for the last 5 matches due to the intense pressure they’ve been under, so I’m reluctant to single out anyone of them for criticism until the midfield can sort themselves out. But special praise must go to Hutton and Clark whose goals won us the game today, well done lads!!!
My Man Of The Match today went to Jores Okore, I think he made one mistake today and that was it. His composure and defensive qualities were there for all to see. There were plenty of times when he found himself on the ball after winning it, and carrying it to safety, in fact, I don’t think he would of looked out of place as a ball carrying midfielder today.
Gabby and Benteke played well today. We don’t expect Gabby to score, but there were times in the second half when he carried the ball down the left beating players and getting the ball into the danger zone, it makes you wonder why he doesn’t do it more often. And the only thing missing from Benteke’s game today, was a goal, the Big Man was awesome!!!
Westwood and Cleverley got injured today, with Westwood’s injury looking the worst. Time will only tell if Cleverley will be fit for the match against WBA on Saturday. I think it’s safe to say that Westwood hasn’t got a ‘Cat In Hell’s Chance’ of making the squad for the Albion clash. I wish them both a speedy recovery.
Jack Grealish
Grealish came on for the injured Cleverley today, and apart from one stray pass, which could have got us into trouble, he played as if he always belonged in the team. I don’t know if he’s ready for the starting line up yet, but he’s not far off it. Grealish needs to trust himself when it comes to making that final pass or being greedy to shoot on goal, you can see he’s got all the tools to beat players and score goals, he could be our next superstar.
A Cautionary Note Though
It’s been a while since we got back-to-back wins and I’m really happy about that. We’re now unbeaten in 5, with 3 draws and 2 wins. The 3 points we acquired today have moved us up to 11th in the Premiership, above Everton! But I do believe, that in our last five matches, we should of won more than we did, and lost some that we drew or even won! Lambert must try and drum it into his players not to back off the opposition when we’re leading a match. However, we did deserve the win today, but Leicester almost nicked a point at the end, even though they had a man sent off. So, there’s plenty of work that needs to be done on the training ground. UTV