How did we become such LOSERS and is 4-5-1 the only way to bring it to an END?

March 25, 2009 by Martin Banks
Filed under: Aston Villa 

Not too long ago, though it’s beginning to feel like a lifetime, Aston Villa were winning games left right and centre. We were 4th in the Premier League, well ahead of Arsenal, and coasting towards the Champions League qualification spot. Villa press was more about whether they had a chance of catching 3rd placed Chelsea, than whether Arsenal could overtake us.

We broke the clubs all-time record for away wins on the bounce and we were all on cloud 9 and loving every minute of the best season to be a Villa fan for far too long.

Villa went on an unbeaten league run from 15th Nov, when we beat the aforementioned Arsenal at their own ground, until 21st Feb when we hosted a rejuvinated Chelsea and gave them a damn good run for their money.

But since the victory at Ewood Park, Villa have seen a dramatic downturn in fortunes; losing to Everton to fall out of the FA Cup, losing to CSKA Moscow to fall out of the UEFA Cup and losing to Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham in the league, dropping us below Arsenal and out of the Champions League spot we’ve strived for.

We had become losers. Losing was something we had begun to forget the feeling of. And we liked it that way thank you very much. But now the losing feeling has well and truly set itself back in and is showing no signs of going just yet. We don’t like it!

Then it all culminated in a humiliating thrashing at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday. A 5-0 beating is not the kind of result you expect a team to get who are supposed to be challenging to break into the top four.

Will Villa bounce back from it? With the next 2 games being a trip to the league leaders and then a tough clash against Everton, it doesn’t look all that rosy. We can take solace in the fact that they both lost this weekend so wins are possible, but a huge attitude change is required by Villa.

Many (me included) will be screaming out for a 4-5-1 formation in both those games, as midfield domination and counter attacks have proved to be the winning formula for Villa. Yes, teams have ‘figured us out’ but even if they have sussed us, that doesn’t make them able to contain us. Do people really think that all the teams we beat were stupid enough not to know our formula? Of course they knew our strengths, just the same as every team that faces Man Utd et al knows their strengths, they just aren’t able to do much about it.

It wasn’t until Villa changed the formula and stopped playing to our strengths, that we stopped winning.

I’m calling for MON to bring back the old style. Bring back the 5-4-1. Bring back the confidence. And bring back the wins. There’s still plenty time.

Who is with me?

Up the Villa.


Comments

12 Comments on How did we become such LOSERS and is 4-5-1 the only way to bring it to an END?

  1. steve 123 on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 11:35

    2. Arsenal are too strong at the moment they even have Cesc Rosicky and Adebayor coming back

  2. greg tersakian on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 11:40

    3. It all started to go wrong when villa fans and the blogs started to really believe they are a better and bigger club than Arsenal etc. Modesty is always good, sudden arrogance is a sure ticket to a quick downfall. Villa web sites and blogs were suddenly full of despicable articles attacking Arsenal for no valid reason. Villa and the supporters felt they were ”it”.
    Montreal, Canada

  3. mark on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 11:46

    4. couldn’t agree more either carew or aggie up front with ashley young having a free reign. but how bad is our defending without laursen.
    cuellar and knight clearly dont cut it.
    the jury is still out on davies

  4. maybe next year ey? on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 11:53

    5. as an arsenal fan, i was very surprised at villa’s amazing form in the middle of the season – a string of away wins on the trot is very impressive indeed. and u fully deserved to be in the champions league places – u played like a team with that kind of quality. saying that, arsenal have missed many key players this season at key times which has distorted our league placing. we lost fabregas, without a doubt our best player, walcott who has become a massive player for us and adebayor for large parts – say wot u will about him, he was still our top scorer last season.not to mention the long term losses of quality players like rosicky and eduardo. o neil’s small squad is showing signs of fatigue – the pressing game u so often employed cannot be as effective anymore. as has been sed many times, the league table at the end of the season is where u deserve to be. i see us finish very strongly and cant c ur lot catchin us im afraid.

  5. andy villa on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 11:53

    6. all coincided with trying to shoehorn heskey into the team…

    “agent heskey” is the cry from the small heathens, and while there are all sorts of retorts to the mindless flea ridden cretins from the cesspitt across the city, it appears that he is actually partly to do with undoing all the good work…

    tiredness, small squad, etc, being a large factor too, however, trying to fit heskey into the team, is really affecting the way we play…

  6. runtings on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 12:15

    7. i really dont think villa have the players to play 4-4-2 all the time and feel that 4-5-1 suits the players we currently have it also means even if we are not playing well we are not giving teams much space to attack is and the pace in our team means we are always a danger in attack

  7. Julian H on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 12:18

    8. If you don’t mind a short interjection from an Arsenal fan (yes, this has appeared on our Newsnow feed):

    In short, the above is precisely what I’ve been thinking about Villa, and reminds me a tad of the year Keegan screwed up Newcastle’s title challenge, seemingly by switching from the “Christmas Tree” to a 4-4-2. Their integration of Asprilla (great player, but one whom they changed their system for) is in some ways reminiscient of your purchase Heskey (not a great player).

    I also noted a stat the other day – Villa (up to that point) had made the fewest substitutions in the league. The main first team players have therefore played a vast amount of minutes, and this is bound to take an effect, particularly on pacey players, towards the season’s end (hence why Wenger always subs off pacey wingers in early season games).

  8. jonny on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 13:00

    9. Over the course of a season quality will always shine through. Villa have had a great season and have lots of good young players but squad does not have th quality of the gunners. Plus in the Jnauary transfer market Arsenal added Arshavin to their squad (undoubtably world class) and villa added hesky (ahem). The top four will stay the top four untill teams with strength and depth in quality start playing well. In the foreseeable future i think only Man City (with their spending power) ot Spurs have a chance of breaking the mould.

  9. James on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 13:22

    10. I remember reading one Villa article stating Arsenal were crap and Villa were a shoe-in for fourth place. That was prior to the Stoke game, and from that day forth Villa have collapsed and Arsenal have been on the up. That’s what happens when you get big-headed all of a sudden.

    Personally, I have nothing against Villa but feel they are really missing Larsen at the back. They have a small squad too, so a combination of tiredness, injuries and suspensions have cost them – as has the bad form of Agbonlahor. Villa don’t really have many goalscorers, so playing 4-5-1 reduces their potency even further, whereas playing 4-4-2 exposes the defence in Larson’s absence.

    A change of system won’t make much difference to a tired team suffering from a lack of confidence. Just accept that you probably aren’t goo enough this year and improve the squad a little more for next season.

  10. Timmy on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 13:33

    11. Yep, i blame Heskey

  11. Scrumpy on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 14:06

    12. You have to remember when questioning the defence of late, that there are two factors, one is the absence of Laursen (although I think if you check the tail end of the run of victories was without Laursen), but the main factor is when playing 4-5-1 it not only helps midfield and allows a more counter-attacking style, but also affords the defence a little more protection with an extra body in front of the back line.

    Go back to 4-5-1 with
    Guzan
    Young Davies Cuellar/Knight Bouma (if fit else Gardener)
    Young NRC Petrov Barry Milner
    Gabby

    Get one result either against Man Utd or Everton and watch the confidence come back. That’s the formation they were succesful in, watch how much more comfortable and confident they are playing it, and one result could start a good run to the end of the season and then you never know what may happen……

  12. gooner on Wed, 25th Mar 2009 16:45

    13. sorry bored arsenal fan here,,

    id blame it on you lot being in europe, your not equiped to play full pelt in the prem fa cup carling cup and euefa,
    when yr winning its easy to keep winning, once you get a loss its like hitting a brick wall, look at utd this week,
    the so called top 4 have played 0ver 50 games a season for the past 10 season, which in time they have learnt to cope with the rigors of success,

    think off how many teams have struggled or even got relegated after a season in europe, i can think of a few,

    blackburn, everton had a bad season last yr being in euefa, portsmouth. and the best one for me is totonham, look at them this season, if they keep out off europe this season. they will have a better season nxt yr,

    to me it will show how well villa have done under oneil, if next season you can push close to what you have achieved this season.
    i dont think villa could cope with playing in the champs league. it would. leave you bottom half off the table this time next yr, with all the momentongone, and oneil sacked for doing a great job,

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