After a gritty draw at home against Manchester City, Chelsea’s week-long break was all-business: bringing in Cuadrado, shipping Schurrle off to Wolfsburg and sending out Salah on loan to Fiorentina.
I sat down with Edd Evans, an editor and writer at Read Aston Villa, to get his thoughts on Saturday’s game:
Something I’m always interested in when talking to opposing fans is how their fandom started. How did you become an Aston Villa fan?
Supporting another team, other than Aston Villa, was never an option for me as a young lad born into a claret and blue family from Aston. Every member of my family supports Villa. My uncle was very close to breaking into the Villa first team in the late 1980’s, however injury sadly brought his career to an end.
Aston Villa currently sit at 16th in the Premier League table with 22 points on the season, and just three points above the relegation zone. What’s up with Villa this season?
We started the season relatively well with wins against Stoke, Hull and Liverpool in our first five games. Then we hit a dismal run of form, which we haven’t yet recovered from. In six games we conceded 15 goals without managing to gain one single point, this period included a heavy defeat against yourselves. In reality this season has been no different to the previous seasons under Paul Lambert. The fans have been the difference this term. The claret and blue faithful are simply fed up with how our club is being run, both in the boardroom and on the touchline. The key issue this year has been our style of play. Lambert has tried his best to implement a ‘possession is key’ mentality, but has failed miserably. I’m just thankful there are teams in the league who are just as bad if not worse than us, that may be our saving grace come June.
Villa have only scored 11 goals this season, the least in the league and nine less than the next closest team. They haven’t scored a goal at Villa Park in Premier League play since December 20th. Why such the goalscoring drought?
Up to this point, we’ve relied far too heavily on Christian Benteke to produce the goods, but the striker is shot of all confidence he had last season. The Belgium has also being starved of the high-quality support and service he desperately requires. He isn’t a Suarez-type striker who will run at a man with pace and intent. Service is vital for someone of Christian’s ilk. As I’ve already mentioned, our tactics going into games are nothing but negative. We’re aiming to draw the game before it’s even started. Our wide players appear almost afraid to make that decisive run and ‘whip in’ that threatening cross. Instead, the manager’s style of play ensures the ball is played back into the centre of midfield in an earnest attempt to keep possession. Whilst keeping possession is crucial, it doesn’t score goals. That’s being our major problem. Paul Lambert.
Aside from bringing in Scott Sinclair on loan, Aston Villa didn’t do much business in the January transfer window. Realistically, what would you like to have seen happen?
Well, we of course also signed attacking midfielder Carles Gil from Valencia, who looks a real find for us. But I would have liked to see us sign one, maybe two, wingers. Wide players who show intent with the ball at their feet, and aren’t afraid to take on a man. Since the sale of Ashley Young and James Milner, we’ve lost our attacking impetus on the flanks. In my opinion, Lambert should have also brought another striker to Villa Park. An established goal-scorer, who could have brought an end to this horrific goal drought. However, with the financial restrictions placed on the manager, this wouldn’t have been merely achievable.
I’m a moron, and completely forgot about Carles Gil.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has never experienced a win at Villa Park. Why do you think Villa Park has been so tough for Jose?
It’s very hard to put your finger on the exact reason. I believed he’s lost twice and drew three times at Villa Park, which is very surprising as the Blues have always showcased high quality sides. I don’t believe there is an explanation for Mourinho’s inability to win at Villa Park. Last year’s defeat was down to pure brilliance from Fabian Delph. I hope Mourinho’s record at Villa Park is an omen for victory this weekend. However, I sadly can’t see history repeating itself.
In the history of Aston Villa-Chelsea matchups, what has been your favorite moment?
My favorite contest between the two sides is the 4-4 thriller at the Bridge. This wasn’t just an excellent display from Villa, it was also a fantastic game to watch as a football fan. It had everything. Eight goals, two penalties and three red cards. The game ended brilliantly as well. If I remember correctly, Ashley Cole was sent off for handling the ball on his own goal-line. We was awarded a penalty, which Gareth Barry smashed past Petr Cech, who had a rather forgettable afternoon.
Now: on to the game at hand. The last time we played was back in September 27th, a 3-0 Chelsea win at Stamford Bridge. What can Villa do differently to avoid that result this time around?
I think we defended very poorly that day, which was our downfall. In the center of defense we had Philippe Senderos and Nathan Baker, who are arguably our weakest defensive pairing. For a long duration of the fixture the pair kept the in-form Diego Costa out of the game. But with time, both Costa and Oscar were allowed to operate a lot more freely around our 18-yard-box. In recent times our defensive unit has been much more solid, despite the hefty losses. I hope this time Clarke and Okore can keep a firm hold on the Chelsea striker who takes Costa’s place in the side, as he misses out due to suspension. In September, Chelsea’s wide players were also granted the opportunity to provide Costa with excellent service. Willian was a nightmare for Aly Cissokho all afternoon. This weekend, Hutton and Cissokho must close down Hazard and Willian at a much faster rate. It’s vital our full-backs do not dive in though, as Chelsea’s wingers have the skill and gyle to lure most defender’s into a reckless challenge.
When looking at this Chelsea side, who do you feel poses the biggest threat to Aston Villa on Saturday?
There’s such an array of quality in the Chelsea squad it’s extremely difficult to name specific players. I’m a huge fan of Diego Costa, but he will take no place in the contest. If I was to name one player it would have to be Eden Hazard. The man is a genius going forward. He poses a great threat to us this weekend with his pace and flair. Unlike most wide players, Hazard has the end product in his locker besides trickery, whether it be crossing or shooting. Nemanja Matic is another Chelsea player who has caught my eye this season. He has a very Ballack- esque presence about him. He commands the midfield with great authority. What has most intrigued me about the Serbian is his ability to both defend and attack, this isn’t something most midfielders can do.
Fill in the blank: if Aston Villa defeat Chelsea on Saturday, it will be because _________?
It may sound awfully negative and rather cliché, but it will be a miracle. After suffering a devastating loss at Emirates last weekend, I see no chance of a victory this Saturday.
Finally, can we get a score prediction and how you think the game will play out?
I believe another thrashing is on the cards for us this weekend, as we face another title-challenging side in Chelsea. What will be the exact result? I dread to think. To your delight and my agony, I’ll call it 3-0. I think Hazard will play a vital part in Chelsea’s attacking threat, as he always does. For some reason, I have a feeling Juan Cuadardo will come off the bench to score late on.
I won’t quite say it’ll be 3-0, but I’ll go with 2-0. I think Villa will stay strong defensively, but Chelsea will open them up eventually and find the breakthrough. Goals from Hazard and Oscar.
Again, a huge thank you to Edd Evans for chatting with me. If you would like to follow him on Twitter, you can find him at @EddEvans_. He is an editor and writer at Read Aston Villa. Their website is coming soon, but, in the meantime, you can follow them on Twitter at @TheVillansVoice. If you would like to see my nonsensical, 140 character-long statements about the game and all things Chelsea, follow me at @KBJelly on Twitter.
