We aren't the champions - yet...

The home form of 1993-94. We won’t go there.


Many headline quotes.
Many bad memories of January 2020 all-too-evident.



How much of the Villa defeat owe to the players adjusting their own actions
as soon as both teams found out of James Rodriguez’s late withdrawal from the fixture?


How much did it owe to better physical condition of players?


And how much were the opposition simply up for the game more..?



Well, we’ve got to give credit to Aston Villa for the team decision to press our players in possession high up on the pitch, knowing there was no (apparent) outlet to pass to in James’s absence.


But was there anything in hindsight that we could’ve done to counter this game plan – other than more movement from certain personnel whose unfortunate lacking of work appetite has re-surfaced since Doucoure’s recent injury?


If someone on our starting XI needs to find someone to pass the ball to with trust, there is an outlet. He doesn’t get the credit for this attribute because of his reputation for disliking his team not being in possession at any moment, but Allan – unlike many at Goodison – is no one-trick-pony.


Watch him the next time he plays when the ball reaches him.

Apologies: watch the opposing players’ movement when Allan controls the ball.
They back off.


They do so because they believe he can use the ball creatively and economically; a threat to any counter-attack, meaning the opposing players will cut off other players supply line as best they instinctively can in the heat of the moment. Napoli will be livid with themselves that they not only allowed the best manager in the world go, but one of the best anchors in midfield follow.



Now, using this asset to better effect is far from the only remedy for terrible performances we’ve seen all-too-often, for all-too-long enough. If we’re going to pass the ball as a way to grind opponents down, it has to be passed quicker, with fewer touches and with time invested by individuals to know when and where a run into space is needed.


These players must be quicker AND stronger in mind and body too.

And this is an excuse all teams can make: a shortened pre-season robbed Ancelotti of the chance to completely overhaul player physique and prepare us to play twice a week, every week of the footballing calendar. But it’s an excuse that has really hurt us in comparison to those above and below us in the top half of the Premier League – let’s hope for kinder luck in the following months.


Playing in Europe next season will be a good education for young athletes, in adjusting to climates, time-zones, travelling and dealing with the responsibilities of 180-minute week duties. It’ll also show up players who can’t focus from kick-off-to-final whistle- even in the Europa Conference (against teams that aren’t used to the Premier League’s physicality, but are very much used to winning games). I’m not exclusively referring to our loss of possession which Ollie Watkins ruthlessly took advantage in opening last Saturday evening’s scoring.



I said ‘we won’t go there’ in reference to the 1993-94 season climax;

If you can remember our visit to Villa Park in the 1995-96 season, you might just recall a solitary headed goal by Dwight Yorke from a long cross that caught Matthew Jackson off-balance.

This happened again for Villa’s winner last week; a speculative, but penetrative side pass into Anwar El Ghazi, whose classy first touch took Coleman out of the game and made the most of the shooting opportunity. Sometimes you have to take risks in order to secure favourable wins, and the opposition made the most of a moment that came their way. It didn’t excuse the performance, yet like the Arsenal landmark win, putting this right against a West Ham team that we must target to overtake with an away win would paper over some cracks at the very least.


So we can still look forward with realistic confidence,
albeit knowing there are players who must (respectfully) move on in the Summer window – FFP abolition or otherwise.

Winning that European berth in the form of an inaugural Europa Conference invitation would do this for the better of everyone – not least acting as a way to give Richarlison a Copa America & Olympics return in 2022. A return involving February European football and (hopefully) a left-footed right-of-three in Leon Bailey and DCL that offers a potent attacking threat to match Mane, Firminho and Salah of 2019-20.


Give the players our full backing, and help them strengthen Brands & Ancelotti’s hand in transfer negotiations with as high a League finish as is possible.


It’s going to be a very brutal end to the season for the players’ fitness,
but a very exciting one for the fans – and the statisticians & pundits to forecast upon...