Post-match thoughts v Aston Villa

There were some shifts in the lineup, giving Travers another chance in his inconsistent career after Kepa suffered an injury. At the same time, Unal unexpectedly started over Evanilson, perhaps aiming to experiment with a different kind of striker against Villa.

Hero Of The Match Vs. Villa

We noticed Semenyo playing on the left and Dango on the right, which came as quite a surprise considering what happened in the match against Arsenal. It was surprising because they looked much more effective when they were switched. I’d like to address this first, as AS didn’t perform well offensively, and Dango had a tough time too.

In the last two games, we've managed to limit our strongest forward's impact against the opposing team. At the same time, we've moved a player who earned his spot in the starting lineup through excellent substitute performances into a position where he appears to be only a fraction of his usual self.

Similar to Howe in the past, AI should not be immune to scrutiny, and at times it seems he’s too resistant to acknowledge that certain aggressive adjustments haven’t been effective. This reminds me of the experiment with Sini playing as a striker. There's a stark difference in how harsh he can be when defenders are struggling; they often get substituted at halftime or even earlier in the match.

I’m really let down to witness that again, especially since it didn’t improve during the entire game. Semenyo and Dango were both not effective in their attacking play, but I believe I need to attribute that more to the manager than to the players themselves this time.

The atmosphere of the game was established right from the start when Onana received a yellow card for a questionable tackle, though VAR opted not to change that decision. Based on what I observed, that seemed like the correct choice. However, it felt like the referee was distracted by Coldplay playing through his earpiece, as the game quickly turned into a parade of yellow cards.

There were thirteen yellow cards during the game, which felt more annoying than genuinely rough, just one shy of the record from our recent match against Chelsea where we saw the same issue. It’s odd that our games have been under such heavy scrutiny twice in quick succession. Some conspiracy theorists might say that the referees are creating a story about us that we’ll end up facing consequences for later. But I’m not one of them; I’m too busy enjoying my music.

On a positive note, just like in the previous game, the referee was fair in showing cards to both teams. The only exception was the non-call for a penalty towards the end. Considering how the rules are supposed to work and the handball penalties we’ve faced in the past, it’s hard to find the right words for that situation. All I can say is that we definitely wouldn’t have gotten lucky like that.

On the flip side, we managed to dodge a bullet when VAR ruled out a goal, deciding that the ball had just barely crossed the line. It seemed to me that we benefited from a hairline decision, similar to Boruc's infamous moments, which meant we got lucky rather than demonstrating any solid defense.

Returning to the game...

At the beginning of the game, it seemed like Travers was stuck in molasses, completely frozen as a ball sailed over him, allowing Watkins to get a chance that the goalkeeper should have easily handled. But from that point on, he was outstanding. He cleared crosses with powerful punches, made a number of impressive saves, and took charge of his defense. Truly remarkable performance.

Regardless of our strategy, it appeared that for the first thirty minutes, we had all completely lost sight of it. Our opponents easily found and took advantage of open spaces, effortlessly breaking through our defense. It was only thanks to their missed opportunities and some impressive saves by Zabarnyi and MT in goal that the score remained tied.

AI realized he needed to step in, and after 29 minutes, he reluctantly decided to end what could be considered the worst performance by an AFCB fullback since Marcos Painter. We'll discuss Araujo in more detail later.

From our point of view, Smith helped to bring a sense of order to the situation, and we held our own against them until halftime, even beginning to create some challenges for them.

Once the break was over and the wingers remained unchanged, I found myself anxiously waiting for the clock to hit sixty minutes, wishing to see Dango substituted out, Tavs or Kluivert moved to the left, and Semenyo shifted to the right. But that didn't happen. Dango managed to stay on the pitch, and Villa kept holding onto their grip on the game.

I realize I keep mentioning this, but Semenyo really struggles when he plays on the left. Typically, he’s a polished player who handles the ball with ease, but when he's out there, he seems awkward and out of sync. Villa fans must be confused by all the hype surrounding him.

I can't say many good things about the second half since we really struggled to stay in the match. Villa was in control, and we were just trying to keep up, relying on a fantastic performance from our goalkeeper and their missed opportunities.

When the moment arrived, likely from a cross numbered 482 into our penalty area, luck was on their side. Barkley mishit his shot; it struck the side of his shin, tricking the goalkeeper and rolling into the net.

After taking the lead against us, Emery chose to switch to a more defensive strategy, opting to protect their advantage instead of pushing for more goals. Many coaches might have made the same choice, but fortunately for us, it worked in our favor.

With Dango taking on the left-back position, there was a noticeable improvement on that flank, even though Semenyo missed several chances. Despite that, it seemed like we had the potential to challenge their defense.

I thought we had missed our chance when the referee ignored the penalty appeal, but then he decided to give a yellow card for a foul on Tavs, who was making a strong run down the left side. Earlier, Evanilson had squandered a clever free kick with a poor touch, but this time he delivered it right into the perfect spot. The Brazilian then executed a perfect flick-header to score.

That ended up being the last significant moment of the match, and we managed to grab a point that we really didn’t earn. To be truthful, when playing away against strong opponents, you need to fight for every inch, and we certainly put in the effort. However, I believe that some frustrating tactical choices hindered us today.

In the end, we ended up with a tie. Who am I to say anything about it?

I really enjoyed seeing Brooks make a brief appearance, and it was great to finally spot Adams on the field.

— Travers — How would you evaluate that performance? Except for one early error, it was impeccable. He confidently went for balls he might not have attempted in the past, handled crosses well, made some excellent saves, and radiated self-assurance. He was clearly our standout player today, and he definitely deserves to be the starter against Man City, even if Kepa is back to full fitness.

— Araujo — Adapting to a new football culture can be challenging, and he has seemed quite out of his element in his most recent games. If I were Aarons, I would be approaching AI this week to suggest that the Mexican player appears ill-prepared for English football and AFCB's playing style. Therefore, it might be worth giving him another opportunity to prove he can step in for Smith.

Araujo undoubtedly has talent, and I'm optimistic he will improve, but I can't gloss over today’s game. His performance was so bad that it felt like he was just preparing for Halloween in his match kit, ready to go trick-or-treating. I know I’d be terrified if he showed up at my door looking like that!

— Zabarnyi put on an impressive performance. He repeatedly neutralized threats with what appeared to be ease. In his previous match, Watkins gave him a hard lesson about Premier League strikers. This time, it was clear he had learned from that experience and knew how to handle him.

— Unal — Not impactful. He failed to provide a spark and couldn't capitalize on the few opportunities he had. It's hard to understand what's happening with him this season.

AI and Strategy Monitor

If you follow the same routine week after week in the Premier League, eventually, the top tactical brains in football will uncover your strategy. At the beginning of the season, I was curious about the changes that AI would introduce, and it’s clear he’s experimenting with different approaches. For example, we've seen Sini playing in a forward position and wingers swapping sides when they’re performing well.

I'm not completely sold on those ideas, but what stands out is his relentless effort to explore new strategies that can mislead the opposition and surprise them.

He also realizes that he must bring in new players to take the place of the long-standing veterans, which is something Howe has occasionally found challenging. He clearly values Smith's skills and contributions, but he knows that their time together is limited. Therefore, he's trying to introduce a new alternative. While the concept is sound, the individual players brought in so far have had a tough time succeeding in that role.

Trying new things is important for growth, but timing is key. I really hope that for the match against Man City, we see Smith starting at right back and Semenyo on the right wing. The idea of Araujo playing in that position right now is quite concerning.

I realize I've mentioned this before, but I keep thinking about it—there has to be a strategic reason behind Villa's setup that kept Semenyo on the left, especially since he seemed to be struggling there. It doesn’t make sense otherwise. Our strongest attacking player was effectively rendered ineffective, like a broken water gun, and Outtara also seemed out of sorts.

Ultimately, it was another match that included a late goal, a trend we've seen often this season. We managed to secure four points against tougher opponents, which helps make up for the times we lost points unfairly.

I was really proud of our determination and hard work during the game, but our offensive performance fell short compared to even the match against Liverpool, where I felt we demonstrated some skill at moments. On a different day, the score could have been much worse, but I want to give credit to the defenders who helped us secure that point, as well as to Tavs for delivering a solid set piece and to Evanilson for scoring an outstanding goal.

To me, it wasn't AI's best performance, but he did make the substitutions that helped secure the draw, so that's something. However, I can’t help but feel that another manager in the past would have faced harsh criticism for a similar display and been labeled as lucky.

Next on the agenda is our weak point in the Premier League. Despite that, I remain optimistic, as AI has demonstrated a willingness to take risks, and I believe that's exactly what we need.

It's ridiculous to claim that Semenyo was pretending. What's the purpose of having VAR if it's not going to address issues like this?

After that, they referenced the image from the handbook following the Dangos v Newcastle case, which they now agree was incorrect. Bailey's position was significantly lower than the "sleeve."

In my opinion, penalties for mis-jumps shouldn't be enforced. However, it was close to his elbow, and he had plenty of time to notice it.

There was no chance we could have escaped either of those penalties being called against us. – To take part in the discussion, click here.