Aston Villa -0.25 (vs spurs) @ 2.08 samvo (3.5/10 confidence)
The reason why i am backing against us is we just dont have the quality in attacking depth everyone thinks we do this season start.
Yes, we signed Berbatov, Zokora and Chimbonda, but our biggest problem is the lack of linkup and service from our midfield up to our forward line. Ive seen us live 3 times down spurs' ground this season (vs Sheff Utd, vs Fulham and vs Slavia Prague) and twice on tv (vs Liverpool and vs Portsmouth) and i really have to be honest with you that we just dont seem to want to go forward from midfield as much as i'd like and the first time in my life at the ground vs Slavia Prague, we booed the players.
Without Lennon, the team has no winger to naturally attack the sides and without him, we play 4 central midfielders across the middle of the park because we dont have any wide options apart from Reto Ziegler who looks decent at times, but not quite as defence piercing as you'd expect from a winger so we dont play him and Routledge is on loan to Fulham.
Ive said this time and time again, the front pair dont often see much of the ball because the 4 midfielders dont go forward enough and naturally drop deeper to crowd out the gap between defence and midfield and the forwards come deep to try start an attack, but when they get the ball, they look up and no one is there...its depressing to watch.
We had a decent 1st half vs Portsmouth in our last game, but Portsmouth were never out of the game just like Slavia were never entirely out of the game. Which makes me think with no Lennon in the side and so many strikers, WHY DONT WE PLAY 4-3-3, cos at least keane and defoe can work the wide channels where the central midfielders dont have the confidence to attack.
Villa under a new regime with O'Neill, they have shored up in all areas, front, back and centre and create alot of good chances against top opposition (ie Arsenal & Chelsea), and with their perfect home form matched only by Liverpool in the league, i really fear the worst against this Villa side.
Ridgewell and Mellberg are like rocks, work hard and very well with each other this season, just like we saw with Hyypia and Carragher were beginning of last season.
Theres a real pacey right sided attacking wideman called Agbonlahor we need to watch out for who has been a sensation for them this season and is almost Villas version of Lennon...(almost), i do worry that he will give either Lee but most likely Ekotto a tough time on saturday. We havent seen much of Baros thus far, but 2 goals against San Marino last weekend will heighten his chances of starting this game in the absence of Luke Moore, as well as recent free signing of Chriss Sutton who is one of the best in the business at holding up the ball, things are ooking positive for Villa.
Further to our misery, Ledley has now picked up a possible recurrance of a previous knee injury he had an operation in the summer for and is now left out of the game against Croatia, although i think Rio would have dislodged him nonetheless and as a Spurs fan, i am slightly worried to say the least and hope for the teams sakes it isnt serious, but for this bets sake, hope Jol will reluctantly rest him.
With an injury list piling up to key players, i dont expect Spurs to turn around our fortunes based on one decent first half against Portsmouth as a good platform to start getting our hopes up on.
I'm sad to say, it will only be when Lennon is fit again and back in the side later this month.
Thus my bet, Villa -0.25...regretfully.
*i am a spurs fan, so read into this what you may, if you think its a fair judgement or not what ive written im pleased you have made time to read the above...
gl
wuntun...a disappointed spurs fan
The reason why i am backing against us is we just dont have the quality in attacking depth everyone thinks we do this season start.
Yes, we signed Berbatov, Zokora and Chimbonda, but our biggest problem is the lack of linkup and service from our midfield up to our forward line. Ive seen us live 3 times down spurs' ground this season (vs Sheff Utd, vs Fulham and vs Slavia Prague) and twice on tv (vs Liverpool and vs Portsmouth) and i really have to be honest with you that we just dont seem to want to go forward from midfield as much as i'd like and the first time in my life at the ground vs Slavia Prague, we booed the players.
Without Lennon, the team has no winger to naturally attack the sides and without him, we play 4 central midfielders across the middle of the park because we dont have any wide options apart from Reto Ziegler who looks decent at times, but not quite as defence piercing as you'd expect from a winger so we dont play him and Routledge is on loan to Fulham.
Ive said this time and time again, the front pair dont often see much of the ball because the 4 midfielders dont go forward enough and naturally drop deeper to crowd out the gap between defence and midfield and the forwards come deep to try start an attack, but when they get the ball, they look up and no one is there...its depressing to watch.
We had a decent 1st half vs Portsmouth in our last game, but Portsmouth were never out of the game just like Slavia were never entirely out of the game. Which makes me think with no Lennon in the side and so many strikers, WHY DONT WE PLAY 4-3-3, cos at least keane and defoe can work the wide channels where the central midfielders dont have the confidence to attack.
Villa under a new regime with O'Neill, they have shored up in all areas, front, back and centre and create alot of good chances against top opposition (ie Arsenal & Chelsea), and with their perfect home form matched only by Liverpool in the league, i really fear the worst against this Villa side.
Ridgewell and Mellberg are like rocks, work hard and very well with each other this season, just like we saw with Hyypia and Carragher were beginning of last season.
Theres a real pacey right sided attacking wideman called Agbonlahor we need to watch out for who has been a sensation for them this season and is almost Villas version of Lennon...(almost), i do worry that he will give either Lee but most likely Ekotto a tough time on saturday. We havent seen much of Baros thus far, but 2 goals against San Marino last weekend will heighten his chances of starting this game in the absence of Luke Moore, as well as recent free signing of Chriss Sutton who is one of the best in the business at holding up the ball, things are ooking positive for Villa.
Further to our misery, Ledley has now picked up a possible recurrance of a previous knee injury he had an operation in the summer for and is now left out of the game against Croatia, although i think Rio would have dislodged him nonetheless and as a Spurs fan, i am slightly worried to say the least and hope for the teams sakes it isnt serious, but for this bets sake, hope Jol will reluctantly rest him.
With an injury list piling up to key players, i dont expect Spurs to turn around our fortunes based on one decent first half against Portsmouth as a good platform to start getting our hopes up on.
I'm sad to say, it will only be when Lennon is fit again and back in the side later this month.
Thus my bet, Villa -0.25...regretfully.
*i am a spurs fan, so read into this what you may, if you think its a fair judgement or not what ive written im pleased you have made time to read the above...
gl
wuntun...a disappointed spurs fan
