Aston Villa vs. Manchester United

By playing Scholes we complete remove the forward attacking threat from midfield, he is absolutely perfect when we need to retain possesion or hit teams on the break but for breaking down defensive lineups he just slows us down and they can stick a man on him and he loses pretty much all his effectiveness.
 
Shane88 said:
I don't know why they're pushing this ''Was it a foul on Smalling?'' line.

Smalling tried to go shoulder to shoulder with him and bounced off him.
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Definately a major feckup by Smalling. All he needed to do was stay on his feet yet he somehow decided he had to win the ball off a guy who was going to do feck all at the corner flag.
 
You just know if Rooney had shoulder barged a center half like Benteke did to Smalling, the ref would have penalized him for it.
 
Shane88 said:
I don't know why they're pushing this ''Was it a foul on Smalling?'' line.

Smalling tried to go shoulder to shoulder with him and bounced off him.
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Because Rio did exactly the same to Benteke and the red blew straight away.
 
At the moment, we've got 99 problems

Someone come up with something clever to end that with.
 
Big challenge for Fergie and the team to turn this around, Villa look gathered. We need one dodgy pen and a RvP winner late on.
 
Nick 0208 Ldn said:
What exactly does Fergie see in the Scholes-Carrick combination? Repeatedly it cedes control of the midfield and we find ourselves on the back foot. It is so obvious.

Is Fletch on the bench btw?
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I know, i don't see it either. They are not mobile enough to be playing alongside in a 2 man midfield anymore.
 
olesmyhero said:
Agree with this. Need more than just pass it to the wingers and hope for the best.
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Scholes does it more than most but it's not just him, Rooney will typically use them as well, picks the ball up round the d, and then switches it wide. Thing is though, they're being found in plenty of space but the delivery in has been very poor from them. Neither Rooney or RVP have dropped off much and when they do as I said they're not exactly trying to create centrally. Though then the other issue is that there's not enough runners as Valencia holds his width, Scholes can't get forward often enough and Young is quite clumsy and too safe when he does get on the ball.
 
Rado_N said:
Sorry Plech but I'm not sure what you're watching, Scholes is having a mare.
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TheBest said:
People just like to add scholes and "control" together. How exactly did he control the game?
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Scholes made two very bad errors which could have led to goals, and for that it has to go down as a poor half.

Other than that he's been the hub of the team, everything goes through him, he is always available, he always wants the ball, he gets it and uses it to create space. Yes often he's played it simple - that's what good CMs do for the most part. Other times he's played good long balls out to the wings. He hasn't set the game alight but you can't just blame him for our performance, half our players have been shite.

I wouldn't play Scholes in a 2 because we're vulnerable on the counter, and in a 2 with Carrick we lack pace and dynamism. But he's still run the game.
 
It's so easy to play us when we're like this. Press high up the field if we don't lose it we'll go back to defence allowing you to withdraw into 2 banks of 4 wait for us to eventually get it wide where you can double up on us and then counter at speed. Really it's that easy when we're like this.
 
Suedesi said:
Fck me, has Valencia put in a decent cross all game long.

People complain about Nani, but at least he can dribble.
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Nani at his worst can come up with a single piece of magic in a game. And he can beat his man instead of looking clueless and passing it back. Really can't wish to have him and Kagawa back.
 
Evra and Carrick were out of position and made little or no effort to get back. They should have been busting a gut to get back. If Rooney could, then they could.
 
I don't think the Benteke challenge on Smalling was a freekick, it's a normal challenge. Smalling was off balance and made that look worse than it was.
 
Now we'll probably stick with this till the hour mark or more, and bring on Anderson when it's too late.
 
Scholes is having a decent game but it's not good when he's sitting back and carricks going forward. So what if he's playing it to the wing? The fact is 9/10 he's hit his target. Scholes isn't the problem with our performance. He's playing his natural game. When you have that much of the ball, shoot. Some of these players are trying to walk the ball in the net. Our wing play has been ineffective because they've not been brave enough to attack the full back. Valencia and Young have to do better - not good enough at the minute. We've had roughly 70% of the ball. Rooney needs to push forward and we need to up the tempo.
 
Lawman said:
Hard for Valencia when they have 2 and 3 on him its a struggle but when the ball gets switched to Young he cuts back even though he's one on one brutal performance by him contributing nothing going forward in the first half.
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Yeah, Young's had a lot more space than Val, yet not once has he tried to beat his man, either goes inside or back to Evra. But it's Ashley Young so it's not really a suprise.
 
Striker10 said:
Sure it's hard for him but he has to be more decisive. He should have the quality to beat them
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I agree but at-least he trying to take him on you can see it Young is taking the easy option every time and he's been one on one. He passes/cuts inside or goes down its piss for a winger. He's now doing my head in.
 
We need to get both Ando and Cleverley in for Scholes and Young and push Rooney to the left. Let's stop just passing to the wings and try move the mother fecker into the box with some tippy-tappy, tiki-taka or whatthefeckever.

This crossing and hoping for the best ain't working. Let's bring some unpredictability into our game.
 
Striker10 said:
Scholes is having a decent game but it's not good when he's sitting back and carricks going forward. So what if he's playing it to the wing? The fact is 9/10 he's hit his target. Scholes isn't the problem with our performance. He's playing his natural game. When you have that much of the ball, shoot. Some of these players are trying to walk the ball in the net. Our wing play has been in effective because they've not been brave enough to attack the full back. Valencia and Young have to do better - not good enough at the minute
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Exactly. The gameplan is clearly to get it out to the wings when possible, and Scholes and Carrick have (Scholes' two uck-ups aside) basically kept possession and done that. It's not their fault the wingers have been terrible.
 
We have been close to awful thus far.

No pace in the attacks, two one-dimensional wingers who are not even trying to use their one dimensions. Poor passing and decision making. At least it is only half time but they need a rocket up their arses, particularly Scholesy and the rest of the midfield!!!
 
Young has been making it easy for the full back since he came back from injury. Turns back onto his right every time, never looks to properly go down the inside with any conviction.
 
Striker10 said:
Scholes is having a decent game but it's not good when he's sitting back and carricks going forward. So what if he's playing it to the wing? The fact is 9/10 he's hit his target. Scholes isn't the problem with our performance. He's playing his natural game. When you have that much of the ball, shoot. Some of these players are trying to walk the ball in the net. Our wing play has been in effective because they've not been brave enough to attack the full back. Valencia and Young have to do better - not good enough at the minute
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Yeah, we've generally had control of the match but once again the wingers have been very unproductive. The midfielders have done their job well but problem is that the wingers are offering little threat either through crosses from wide or coming inside with darting runs so we've can't expose Villa.
 
Chico, Ando, Clev for the second half. 433 and party like its 2008. We really ness to stop this.
 
Don't think Scholes has been as bad as you lot are saying. Had a nightmare at the edge of his own box, but has generally been decent apart from that. He's at least looked forward and played forward every now and then, which is more that can be said for Carrick. I can't understand how we keep making the same mistake over and over again in midfield, though. If we weren't getting results, the media would be going mental by now about Fergie's almost stereotypical old age stubbornness. Sticking with off form wingers when we've got a problem in central midfield is worrying!

That wasn't a foul on Smalling, I don't think. Just amazing strength. If anything, Smalling went full pelt into Benteke.
 
I hate our football with carrick and scholes play in midfield. Doesnt help that val is having ab absolute stinker though
 
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