Matchday 20 – Quick Round Up

Match Day 20 Round Up

Saturday 3rd January

Aston Villa 3-1 Nottingham Forest

A game that Villa took charge of from the kick off and looked a level or two above their visitors. The biggest issue for the home team was probably the lack of atmosphere at the ground, as the fans took a while to warm up, surprisingly. With Villa doing so well, I would have expected the ground to be a wall of noise right from first whistle to last, even though generally Premier League grounds are losing their atmosphere. Forest looked like what they are – a struggling team playing outdated tactics which do not suit the players. Jesus is very good with the ball on the ground, but almost every ball to him is lumped up to his head. Dyche really does need to modify his tactical approach if he is to have any chance of a longer spell at Forest.

Starmen:
Tielemans – really shining for Villa at the moment.
Kamara – gives that Villa team some bite and mobility in midfield.
McGinn – showed what an excellent midfielder he still is and notched twice.
Watkins – a good game and a goal as he shows signs of recovering his form at last.
Murillo – without him this would have been much worse for Forest.

Flops:
Jesus – can do nothing with the service he gets.
Hutchinson – shows good pace but lacks experience and so often ends up on the periphery.
Victor – an embarrassing mistake by the Brazilian for the 3rd goal, followed by him feigning injury and going off to hide in shame I think.

Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Burnley

Despite Brighton not beating the Clarets at home in the league, either in the Championship or Prem, since 2013, this was a very one sided game. Burnley work hard, kick anything that moves, but they are so lacking in quality and attacking ambition that they look completely out of their depth this season. Parker looks to have no clue about what to do to change things either. The Seagulls were clearly the better side and really should be disappointed not to win by more.

Starmen:
Kadioglu – had a good game, he works well with Mitoma.
Rutter – drove forward with the ball constantly, causing Burnley no end of problems. Took his goal well.

Flops:
Parker – his tactics are giving Burnley absolutely no chance of survival.
Walker – could not handle Mitoma at all and mostly resorted to just fouling him.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 West Ham United

An early goal for Wolves set the tone for the match. The Midlanders look a team on the rise, the players look like they have desire and hunger, finally….