Villa Fanzine: Heroes and Villains

[Nocky]

The News Page for all things Claret and Blue as we move into Season 19 - and back into the Anglo American Cup!

[Nocky]

Season Review - Season 18

With the latest season in the books, we take a look back at how it went at Villa Park.

Where we were:
Season 17 was a bit of a disaster for Villa. We avoided relegation on the final day and so didn't qualify for any continental competition in the process. We got knocked out of the FMFA Cup in round 2 and the one success was a semi final of the Anglo American cup. Fans were understandably worried that the manager had taken the club as far as he could.

In contrast, the youth season couldn't have gone any better with the side winning the league and cup double as the U23s continued strong

The season as ever saw plenty of activity in the transfer market with the key arrival being the auction signing of Cristiano Ronaldo to try and sort out the team's goal scoring issues.

The Premiership

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Pl   Team                      P    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1    Liverpool                22   13   6   3    49   23   26    45C
2    Burnley                  22   11   6   5    37   25   12    39
3    Arsenal                  22   11   4   7    43   25   18    37
4    Aston_Villa              22   10   6   6    31   26    5    36
5    Chelsea                  22    8   8   6    31   30    1    32
6    Leicester_City           22   10   2  10    26   29   -3    32

On the face of it a really positive outcome with the side fighting at the top and returning to the Anglo American Cup for season 19. Wewon more than we lost and the goal scoring was improved although we couldn't keep up with the top teams. The pre season goal of a top 4 finish was achieved (albeit n the final day).

However, after round 16 and with 6 games to go we hit top spot and had the title in our hands. Very disappointingly, from that point we earned 4 points from the final 18. In contrast, Liverpool gained 14, Burnley 10 and Arsenal 13 - blowing us out of the title race in the process as we returned to previous form - worryingly. So a good final position but a worrying end.

Cups
A disaster - we lost in the AA Trophy playoff final, exited the league cup in round 2 and the FMFA cup in round 1. Maybe this gave us focus on the league but it's a big are for improvement next season

U23S
Again, disappointing. Second and 1 point off top spot after 15 games we managed to accumulate 5 of the last possible 21 points and plummeted down the table. We ended up finishing in the bottom half and as close to the relegation zone as the title.

In the cup, which we had won for the past 2 seasons , we did well - but this was one too far as we ended up going out to Stoke in the semi finals.


Overall
A more satisfying season than the previous one but still a way to go to achieve the levels the fans want. Anglo American qualification is a bonus and we'll need the squad and focus to challenge on all fronts this season as we look to improve every area

[Nocky]

Fans question fixture schedule

Villa fans have been all over social media questioning the timings of everything within FMFA. As we sit and write this it has been 70 days since we completed the league calendar at home to Tottenham and fans are bemoaning the lack of football from their team. There is an element of sympathy to be had as it's hard to keep interested and focused with over 2 months between matches.

To make matters worse, whilst the new season starts on the 6th July, Villa won't kick off until 2 weeks later on the 20th. That means it will be an incredible 95 days between matches for the first team squad!!! And fans are not happy about this!

However, Villa management have spoken out in support of the FMFA:

"We at Villa are frustrated at the lack of match time and would obviously like to play more often. However we respect that the FMFA management have a really tough job and a lot to get through between seasons. We are in full support of them and decisions they make.

The extended off season will get us time to prepare the squad fully in terms of personnel so that we are fit and raring to go by the start of next season. We are working hard to improve the squad and take advantage of every opportunity we have to make things better.

We also had an opportunity for game time in the Jet cup. Unfortunately, because the manager was on holiday, we chose not to enter. So it's not all the FMFA's fault."

With this statement and the club assuring fans the squad will be ready for the season, pressure is now on the manager to deliver on their assurances.

[Nocky]

Anglo American Cup Groups Announced
Aston Villa will play in Group A of the top competition in FMFA fro next season. The season 16 winners and season 17 semi finalists will be looking to return to the previous glories they have experienced in recent memory.

The club will be joined in Group A by the following teams:

Liverpool
English champions and a side that need no introduction to Liverpool fans. Unusually the sides only met twice last season with Villa winning 2-0 at Villa Park in round 8 and Liverpool taking the spoils 3-1 at Anfield in round 17.

It is the third time these 2 sides have been in the same group of this competition with us being paired in seasons 16 and 17. Villa have a fantastic record in these matches picking up 10 points from 12 over the 2 seasons.

The sides will meet at Villa Park on Match Day 3 with the reverse at Anfield in Match Day 4

River Plate
A side that the Villa manager knows probably even better than Liverpool as he has been caretaker for their Anglo American Trophy campaigns for the last 3 seasons. There has been relative success over this period with River making the semi finals on each occasion - but not being able to go one step further. Nock will be sad he can't have another go at River this year but will enjoy taking them on from the other side.

The 2 sides met in the Anglo American Trophy groups in season 15 with a 0-0 draw in Argentina followed by a 2-2 at Villa Park. Hopefully Villa can come out on top this time around.

Villa travel to Buenos Aires for match day 2 and will conclude the group at home to River on match day 6

Atlas FC
A complete unknown quantity - Villa have never played Atlas and know absolutely nothing about them. They'll have to work it out quickly though as the Mexican Champions are the season opener at Villa Park in match day 1 before the trip to Guadalajara for match day 5.




Overall, not a bad group. Liverpool will obviously be the side to beat and nobody can be taken for granted but fans and manager will fancy the team's chances of progression to the semis.

[Nocky]

Season 19 - Ins and Outs

Villa finally return to action on Wednesday after a long time away from competition. Despite the lack of activity it has been a relatively quiet off season for the first team squad with only a handful of deals completed. We cast our eye over the comings and goings at Villa Park for the new season.

Out - Michy Batshuayi to Brighton for £60,000,000
The Belgian FW signed for Villa round about Christmas during season 16. He's never been able to hold down a regular 1st XI spot and has played his football off the bench a lot of the time. He slipped behind Sam Lammers in the pecking order fairly quickly and then was bumped further down following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo last season. Still - always a reliable backup and a scorer of important goals - Villa make good money for him banking £60m whilst he gets the chance to be a regular starter in the Championship

Out - Ruben Dias to Liverpool
In- Keylem Guessom, Eder Militao and Patrik Schick from Liverpool for £65,000,000
No doubt as to the biggest deal of the season so far. First out goes Ruben Dias - the Portuguese international signed from Derby back in pre season of 2017 and has made a starting shirt his own for all his time at the club. One of the best tacklers in FMFA it remains to be seen if letting him go to the Champions will come back to haunt Villa.

However, 2 quality defenders have come the other way. Guessom and Militao will be definite first choice players for Villa all season and their passing ability makes up for what is lost in tackling with Dias going. They will fit in well with a team that looks to build from the defence and will hopefully build great partnerships with the other young defenders at the club such as new captain Tasreeq Matthews and Charlie Seaman. The deal also adds great depth to the squad with 7 top quality defenders allowing freedom of selection through out the season.

Up front as the replacement for Batshuayi comes in Czech forward Schick. The whole multi player deal cost Villa £5m more than they sold the Belgian for so the board will be happy with the business. Schick is a better passer and finisher than the player he replaces so is a great upgrade. He will likely be backup to the top 2 but has the potential to be genuine competition for Lammers and a long term replacement for the aging Ronaldo.

Out - Gary Cahill released for £5,000,000
Signed last season as backup to allow five at the back even with injuries, Cahill played a handful of times and was solid enough. But as his age caught up with him he was a yard off the pace and, with Guessom and Militao coming in, he was surplus to requirements. Villa pick up £5m in compensation as well meaning, in total, the net spend has been £0 so far

In- Jorginho from Auction for £100,000,000
A very highly rated passer of the ball although not as good in other areas as the club generally like. The Italian will definitely add some steel to the midfield allowing the likes of Leemans and Kinsombi to play further forward. His lower tackling and shooting may limit his game time with the further emergence of Nascimento and Roberts this season in what is looking like a fearsome all round midfield but Jorginho ill definitely have his part to play this season.



So that is it for the season. As mentioned some of the youth have really come on and the manager seems happy with the squad he's put together. Now to get the tactics right and really try to kick on and challenge for trophies again. Fingers crossed.

[Nocky]

Youth Academy {Paying off

Villa's highly successful youth team has continued to pay off with the emergence of 3 midfielders last season and 2 of them really now kicking on in the first team.

Diogo Nascimento, Callum Roberts and Pierrer Emile Hojbjerg all played on a rotation basis in the first team last season and the former 2 of these have kicked on to become integral parts of the squad for the coming season. Their coming through has saved the club millions ion transfer fees.

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Jorginho      30 bra  1 11 31  6 23 300 300 300 300
C_Leemans     25 ned  1 13 30 13 32 300 738 831 590
D_Kinsombi    24 ger  1 13 29 13 25 300 335 880 406
S_Bergwijn    23 ned  1 10 29 13 25 300 698 630 813
C_Roberts     23 wal  2 13 28 13 21 480 171 566 892
D_Nascimento  19 por  1 13 28 13 26 300 863 782 899

Definitely not out of place having learned a lot from superstars Leemans and Kinsombi the 2 are now primed to make a real impact on the division - and both are still young with Nascimento in particular at just 19yo likely to really push forward over the next season. An exciting time for the club and great to see academy prospects doing so well. In fairness they are a credit to the work the manager has put in on them and that is now reaping dividends. With Buckle and Butterworth coming through as well the team seems to have a great future.

Hojbjerg didn't do as well as the others last year so he has been sent on an intensive training course in July. A new initiative fans will be waiting to see how well he does and how he returns next month.

[Nocky]

Oliver Christansen signs!!!
Aston Villa fans are today breathing a huge sigh of relief as Danish shot stopper Oliver Christansen has signed from Hertha Berlin. After 2 league games where they shipped 8 goals something had to be done and the manager has been working hard to get this over the line.

How bad was the situation?
The performances of Sanchez have been heavily scrutinised over the start of this season. During the off season the club brought in Robin Burki to add competition for places with both GKs rated 31 giving good depth in the position. But the game has moved on and that level no longer cuts it at the top flight. Indeed Sanchez is the 23rd ranked GK on FMFA (Burki 29th) and that is the lowest ranked Keeper to start for a Premier League side this season. Only Palace, QPR and Wolves on the whole of FMFA have lower rated starting goalkeepers.

Over the 4 games at the start of the season Sanchez has lost 21 abs and shipped on average 2.5 goals per game. That makes it very difficult to win matches and the fans were starting to turn.

To make matters worse for the manager, Robin Olsen was available and went unsold at auction with Nock opting instead for Jorginho who has struggled to make an impact and hold down a starting spot. Fans are scratching their heads on transfer strategy.

The New Guy
One thing you can say about the club is, when an issue is identified they act fast. The manager saw the need and sent the scouts out asap. They returned with a Danish international who will slot straight in as number 1. All of a sudden, Villa will have a top 7 GK and the 3rd best in the Premiership which will surely help the team to be more competitive moving forwards,

How was the deal financed?
£165m is no small amount of money for any player so how was it raised? Well the club had some in the pot left over from auction but they cashed in on the unwanted Jorginho - letting him depart to Derby County for a fee of £130m. That's a disappointment to fans that the signing didn't work out but a £30m profit in 4 games will soften the blow somewhat. Surprisingly, Sanchez was retained with Burki being the GK moved on with Villa recouping the £30m they paid Brighton for him. So ultimately only £5m came out of existing finances.

With Pierre Hojbjerg having recently undergone an intense training programme to improve his skills he can plug the gap in midfield and fans have a squad they can be excited about.


So will this be the missing piece of the puzzle and can Villa now climb the table and challenge for silverware? Who knows - but it's a step in the right direction!