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Aston Villa (a curious 4-2-2-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Luiz, Kamara; Ramsey, McGinn; Buendia, Ings. Subs: Olsen, Sanson, Chambers, Augustinsson, Young, Bednarek, Dendoncker, Bailey, Archer.
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Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Ashton-Under-Lyne)
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There’ve never been as many brilliant footballers in the world as there are now, so it therefore follows that there’ve never been as many brilliant footballers in England’s top division as there are now. Factor into that the Premier League’s financial dominance, and what, at first glance, makes no sense, actually makes perfect sense: a game between Brighton, seventh in the table, and Aston Villa, 15th in the table, should be an absolute belter.
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Brighton are a perfect example of what can be achieved with the simple, judicious application of a billionaire’s wealth. They appoint quality staff throughout the club to milk whatever advantages there are to be found, then buy low and sell high – easy, right? Well actually not – earning that kind of money is extremely difficult. But more seriously, it’s also extremely difficult to pick the right manager just as it is to coach well, scout well and plan well.
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And they come into this game in decent nick, a mix of first and second-choices having binned Arsenal from the Littlewoods in midweek, to back up the wins over Wolves and Chelsea which preceded it. Which is to say that Roberto di Zerbi – another ideal managerial appointment – has settled beautifully. His players understand the fast, attacking football he demands, and are doing it very well indeed.
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Villa are a slightly different affair. They too have the benefit of a billionaire owner – football is the winner! – but the deployment of those funds has been more haphazard. Until now. Though there’s something not quite right about a manager leaving a club he led to the Europa League and Champions League semi-finals for one in the bottom half of the Prem, Unai Emery is a fine manager who is already showing the ability to fashion a team from the collection of excellent individuals assembled by Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard.
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Most particularly – and where he differs from predecessors who kept fiddling – he has the confidence and patience to pick a formation, coach the players to play it, and stick with them. In last weekend, 3-1 win over Manchester United, his side were electric in the first quarter, their opponent’s failings cannily identified then mercilessly assaulted, and though a near-second XI were beaten in midweek, there was still plenty to like about Villa’s enterprise in attack.
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So, stick with me, because this should be a lot of fun.
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Kick-off: 2pm GMT
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Key events
I think Steven Gerrard’s big failure at Villa was failing with a formation and an XI. Obviously there are shifts in form and fitness, but the wrong team picked every week will be better than another team picked every week. Emery will need time to work out his squad and how best to deploy them in it, but he won’t be constantly second-guessing himself, I don’t think.
A word to the wise: if you ever have the pleasure of emptying sulfuric acid into a plug hole – and let me tell you, the thrill of the hiss and buzz as it does its work is something—don’t hang around admiring your handiwork, unless you want to feel like you can no longer swallow, while experiencing the weariness of a thousand years.
Brighton, meanwhile, will want their wide players to pin the Villa backs back, and more generally this looks like a contest between a possession team and a power team. The hosts will look to keep the ball and probe, while the visitors will rely on turnovers to create the majority of their chances.
I felt this before I saw Villa in midweek, but looking at their team tonight, my fear for them is that they don’t have enough to feed the Ings. That’s one of the reasons I’m surprised there’s no Bailey – Cash and Digne will have to cover a lot of ground – but on the other hand, it should be pretty hard to penetrate them centrally.
Google also expects Villa to play 4-2-3-1 not 4-2-2-2. My best guess is that the players go onto the field and run around, visiting different parts of it in the process.
Google reckon Brighton will have Welbeck up front and Trossard on the left, which is possible. My guess is the opposite though as Welbeck is not a good finisher, is more dangerous coming from outside to inside, and Trossard has done well playing as a nine. I see both sides though as Welbeck has the touch and physical presence to play in and then play off.
Feel free to submit your melodic Ibiza classics because why not?
Is it just me, or is it impossible to see R. Sanchez in the Brighton net, stop the game, put this on and go out dancing? Tare!
Villa, meanwhile, make three changes, with Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Danny Ings replacing Leander Dendoncker, Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins. Watkins isn’t in the squad so is probably unavailable – Ings is a pretty nice replacement – and I’m sure Emery planned to bring Kamara in as soon as he felt fit enough. I’m surprised Bailey isn’t starting, but I’m sure we’ll see him off the bench.
So what does it all mean? Brighton are without Adam Webster, so Levi Colwill, on loan from Chelsea, comes in for his first ‘this league’ start, while Kaoru Mitoma also misses out; he is replaced by Daniel Welbeck. Both of the missing are sick.
However, Welbeck played well at Arsenal in midweek and is an intelligent player with a lovely touch. Although he has struggled with injury, he suffered, perhaps more than anyone else, because of Alex Ferguson’s retirement, and given how little he has played, he should still have plenty to offer. As for Colwill, he’s supposed to be very handy, so I’m looking forward to getting a good look at him.
Let’s have some teams!
Brighton & Hove Albion (a flexible 4-2-3-1): Sánchez; Gross, Colwill, Dunk, Estupinan; Caicedo, MacAllister’; March, Lallana, Welbeck, Trossard. Subs: Steele, Lamptey, Enciso, Undav, Gilmour, Veltman, Turns, Van-Hecke, Ferguson.
Aston Villa (a curious 4-2-2-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Luiz, Kamara; Ramsey, McGinn; Buendia, Ing. Subs: Olsen, Sanson, Chambers, Augustinsson, Young, Bednarek, Dendoncker, Bailey, Archer.
Judge: Chris Kavanagh (Ashton-Under-Lyne)
Introduction
There have never been as many brilliant footballers in the world as there are now, so it therefore follows that there have never been as many brilliant footballers in England’s top division as there are now. Consider the Premier League’s financial dominance, and what at first glance makes no sense actually makes perfect sense: a match between Brighton, seventh in the table, and Aston Villa, 15th in the table, should be an absolute belter.
Brighton is a perfect example of what can be achieved with a simple, judicious application of a billionaire’s wealth. They appoint quality staff throughout the club to milk whatever advantages they can find, then buy low and sell high – simple, right? Well not really – making that kind of money is extremely difficult. But more seriously, it is also extremely difficult to choose the right manager just as it is to coach well, scout well and plan well.
And they come into this game with a decent nod, a mix of first- and second-choice sides having ousted Arsenal from Littlewoods in midweek, to back up the wins over Wolves and Chelsea that preceded it. Which is to say that Roberto di Zerbi – another ideal managerial appointment – has settled in beautifully. His players understand the fast, attacking football he demands, and do it very well indeed.
Villa is a slightly different business. They also have the advantage of a billionaire owner – football is the winner! – But the use of these funds has been more haphazard. Until now. Although there is something wrong with a manager leaving a club he led to the Europa League and Champions League semi-finals for one in the bottom half of the Prem, Unai Emery is a good manager who is already showing the ability to create a team from the collection of excellent individuals assembled by Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard.
In particular – and where he differs from predecessors who kept tinkering – he has the confidence and patience to pick a formation, coach the players to play it and stick to it. Last weekend, in the 3-1 win over Manchester United, his side were electric in the first quarter, their opponents’ failings were then mercilessly exposed, and although an almost second XI was beaten in midweek, there was still much to like about Villas company under attack.
So bear with me, because this is going to be a lot of fun.
Kick-off: 14:00 GMT
#Brighton #Aston #Villa #Premier #League #live