Share

cover art for Aston Villa Have a Truly Transformative Weekend

My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast

Aston Villa Have a Truly Transformative Weekend

Ep. 287
•

After indifferent home form this calendar year, Aston Villa's Champions League charge had gone off the rails a little. Conceding cheap goals was undermining a lot of good work. The recent 3-3 draw against Brentford in the league and then conceding a late goal in the 2-1 Europa Conference League win over Lille, was testament to that.


With poor results for English teams in Europe last week, the prospect of fifth being enough in the Premier League to qualify for the Champions League was under threat, as the English team coefficient rating suffered. The stench of Europa League was in the air for Villa. There was also a sense that if they failed to do the business in Lille in the Europa Conference League 2nd leg, Villa's season might fold in on itself.


However, a weekend that served up both Villa's best away performance of the season at Arsenal and a cracking Newcastle display against Spurs, saw Villa rise to fourth spot and suddenly feel a lot more confident about their trip to France this week.


Villa's destiny now is very much in their own hands.


UTV


VERY SPECIAL NORDVPN OFFER with Four Months Free


This episode of the My Old Man Said podcast is sponsored by NordVPN, which was named as one of TIME’s 2022 Best Inventions (Apps and Software section). As well as protecting your privacy and online data, NordVPN allows you the opportunity to help get access to those 3pm Saturday or 2pm Sunday games which aren't available in your region by switching your virtual location to a country which is screening it.


With the MOMS deal on NordVPN, you can get the Fastest VPN in the world for the price of a coffee a month, while being able to try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.


Get your MOMS EXCLUSIVE NordVPN deal here ➼ https://nordvpn.com/moms 


GET THE EXCLUSIVE MOMS PATRON PODCAST CHANNEL and JOIN MATCH CLUB


If you want ad-free advance versions of the shows and extra exclusive shows during the month and to join My Old Man Said's 24/7 Villa community, Match Club, please do support the show by becoming a MOMS Member.


For more details and to become a member, click here: Become a MOMS Member


Follow the show on Twitter at @myoldmansaid and join the show’s listener facebook group The Mad Few.


Credits:


David Michael - @myoldmansaid 

Chris Budd - @BUDD_music

Phillip Shaw - @prsgame


My Old Man Said - https://www.myoldmansaid.com


This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT 



Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows -  MOMS Membership


Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.


Credits:


David Michael - @myoldmansaid  | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame


This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 657. Manchester United 4-4 Aston Villa: Villa Crumble Twice Despite Early Christmas Gifts

    26:28||Ep. 657
    Manchester United 4-4 Aston Villa. Villa manage to score four away from home, even won a penalty at Old Trafford, yet still only came back with one point.The post-mortem opens a very murky case. Christmas came early: United's goalkeeping handed Villa the first two goals and their defence kept the presents coming. Then Villa found a way to give every one of them back, twice.How does a side that has just scored four at Old Trafford fail to win? That is the question the show cannot leave alone. Was it a lack of quality, poor substitutions, or is it centred around a weak mentality? Why did a team finally in control for half an hour stop playing the moment it mattered, and why did the final blow come from another corner? Has Suzuki been found out?It is not all misery. A Villa penalty at Old Trafford is the kind of miracle you tell your grandchildren about. Also, at least one Villa player is flying this week, and he's even topped the Speed Demon charts for the season.The bigger picture is not pretty though. Four games without a win since beating Manchester City, a fortnight of international football to stew over it, and a verdict on whether the Villa rebuild is still ahead of schedule or have we been fooling ourselves?UTVGet 20% off Villa kit and current Adidas Originals here
  • 656. Aston Villa's Intensity, Man United's Identity and the Champions League Run-In

    31:35||Ep. 656
    Aston Villa go to Manchester United in the Premier League after three games without a win: a 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Bournemouth, a 1-1 draw with Fulham and a 3-0 defeat at Barcelona in the Champions League. This week's Main Show, recorded before kick-off, asks what has gone flat since the win over Manchester City.Villa News covers the right-back puzzle with Matty Cash suspended, the club's statement on Unai Emery's future in the wake of the Jamie Carragher row, and why the show thinks a lion should not pay attention to the opinions of a sheep. The Villa Engine takes in the under-21s' 3-3 draw with Barcelona in the Youth League, their best result in the competition by the show's reckoning.The Three Points range from Leicester City supporters objecting to their sponsor's choice of brand ambassador to an armed police response in Northumberland and a Brazil Under-20 game that ended with 51 red cards. Emery's Clipboard looks at the halfway point of the Champions League league phase. With Galatasaray away and Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund at Villa Park to come, is the run-in harder than the first four games?Then the main event: a United side with one league win from nine, the show's doubts about Michael Carrick's authority, a team that barely presses and what that means for how Villa should play.UTV
  • 655. Aston Villa's Carabao Cup Exit at Bournemouth: Why Intensity, Not Personnel, Was the Gap

    18:56||Ep. 655
    Villa lost at Bournemouth on intensity, not due to the names in the team. When a side mixes players who need minutes with players protecting themselves for bigger games, you're always going to get a drop off. Bournemouth seemed to want it more, while Villa's focus, as in recent seasons, is clearly elsewhere. The episode looks back at the 3-0 defeat on the south coast in the fourth round, where Unai Emery made nine changes from the side that beat Manchester City. Focusing on where the likes of Leon Goretzka, Alejandro Garnacho, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Lamare Bogarde, and Brian Madjo sit in the pecking order.UTVUp to 30% off Aston Villa's three kits. Check out the deals here - Use code UTVILLA30 hereRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season’s shirts – Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
  • 654. How Emery’s Tenacious Aston Villa 2.0 Stacks Up to Last Season Before the Barcelona Test

    46:01||Ep. 654
    Can Unai Emery take Aston Villa deep in the Champions League? Is that the question people should really be asking, rather than nonsense about Manchester United? With the first of two stiff tests passed, we look at what's different this season from last. Some of the data is a surprise, while other insights are encouraging for the season ahead.The show begins with a prologue, a clip from a 1978 documentary on Villa's last opponents, Manchester City, with sentiments that eerily echoing their recent endeavours. While we reflect back once again to the recent game at Villa Park, we also look at the main differences already forming between this season and last.The Three Points takes in the Independent Football Regulator's State of the Game report and football's latest adventures in technology. While Emery's Clipboard belongs to Nicolas Jackson, who is faced off against Ollie Watkins in terms of their active sprints in a game.UTVUp to 30% off Aston Villa's three kits. Check out the deals here - Use code UTVILLA30 hereRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season’s shirts – Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
  • 653. "I'd Rather Be a Villan": Aston Villa Beat Man City as Villa Park Boos the Banana Boys

    33:22||Ep. 653
    Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 at Villa Park to earn their first home league win of the season. Nicolas Jackson scored twice, either side of Erling Haaland's header, and ended City's winning start under Enzo Maresca.The post-mortem begins with the atmosphere: City booed on every touch, inflatable bananas that were soon deflated, and a first half the show calls a delight. Then the three points of the game. First, how Villa matched City across the pitch, with Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen both excellent at full-back and Cash's duel with Jérémy Doku a highlight. Second, Zion Suzuki, who has made Emiliano Martínez's departure feel like a distant memory. Third, Unai Emery's substitutions, with the show's theory of Villa 2.0 in the starting line-up and a potential Villa 3.0 on the bench.The show also looks at Jackson's finishing and how different he is from his predecessor, the refereeing and the physical battle, and what the win says about the level Villa have reached already. There is talk of the Champions League, Barcelona away as the real test, and Speed Demon, where the show suspects the numbers are wrong.UTVUp to 30% off Aston Villa's three kits. Check out the deals here - Use code UTVILLA30 hereRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season’s shirts – Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
  • 652. Aston Villa's Champions League Start: Three Wins From Three, Penalties and No Need for Full-Backs

    20:00||Ep. 652
    Aston Villa's Champions League campaign under Unai Emery has been built on control, and the league-phase win over Viking FK at Villa Park may be the clearest example yet. Villa held the game for the first half with a shape few expected: a back three and no full-backs, with Tyrone Mings, Victor Lindelöf and Pau Torres alongside a hybrid right-back in João Gomes. "We played a very serious match, disciplined, organised, and then tried to impose ourselves and dominate with our capacity, both collectively and individually," said Emery.Villa won 3-1, their third victory from three, with Ross Barkley's near-post header, Emiliano Buendía's penalty and an effort from Alysson Edward given as an own goal. The show calls the first half the most controlled it has seen under Emery, and asks how much was his plan and how much was Viking's lack of threat.Then we look at the individual contributions and the bigger questions, as Villa surprise a few and begin their Champions League in confident fashion.UTVRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season’s shirts – Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
  • 651. Villa Guard Against Complacency for Champions League Viking Invasion

    22:56||Ep. 651
    Aston Villa host Viking FK at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase, after the weeks back-to-back wins - a 6-0 win over Fenerbahçe and a 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Saturday. The show's warning is simple: this is the kind of game Villa are expected to win, and Scandinavian sides have a history of punishing complacency.The team news is a mess on the left. Matteo Ruggeri is out for around two months, Aaron Wan-Bissaka for several weeks and Johan Manzambi sits this one out as a precaution. Ian Maatsen is back in training and touch and go. Taylor Harwood-Bellis is now registered in the Champions League squad under UEFA's 60-day injury rule, so the show asks who plays left-back: a managed Maatsen, Tyrone Mings or Pau Torres, or even Lamare Bogarde.Viking, the show argues, are not a makeweight. A well-drilled side who like to play on the front foot, score freely and will offer a test for Unai Emery's recent work on his defensive unit.Empty seats and the club seemingly dumping tickets on the secondary market, prove that they were wrong to have prices up to £99 for members for such a game. Plus there's December fixture changes, and the latest press reports on Manchester City's sanction.Restock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season’s shirts – Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
  • 650. Aston Villa's Defence Is Holding at Last: What the Newcastle Win Says About the Rebuild

    23:58||Ep. 650
    Two away wins in a row and two clean sheets in a week raise the question this episode asks: has Aston Villa's defence turned a corner, or has it only met two weak sides? Villa beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St James' Park, showing plenty of resilience, as Johan Manzambi’s header from a João Gomes cross in the first half gave them the win.The show weighs the evidence as to whether Unai Emery has fixed his defensive issues: Matty Cash's late recovery to stop a clean-through forward, Zion Suzuki's save, Victor Lindelöf's growing seniority, Tyrone Mings against the high balls, Boubacar Kamara looking like himself again and a calming cameo from Leon Goretzka.It also marks where it still frays. Ross Barkley's timing, despite positive displays, Ibrahim Mbaye and Nicolas Jackson both failed to square for a teammate, and the left side is thinning with Aaron Wan-Bissaka's hamstring, Matteo Ruggeri out and Ian Maatsen only just back in training.Speed Demon and Lazy B*stard return, with a new Villa season record. Unai Emery has his 100th Premier League win, and the show makes its case that the rebuild is ahead of schedule, before Viking and Manchester City ask harder questions.UTVRestock on discounted Adidas Originals stock and last season’s shirts – Use code MOMS10 for an extra 10 % off here
  • 649. Aston Villa 6-0 Fenerbahçe Reaction: Europe Is Villa's Playground, Jackson's Clinical Edge and a Deeper Squad

    19:45||Ep. 649
    Aston Villa beat Fenerbahçe 6-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase. It was Villa's biggest European win and Unai Emery's biggest as Villa manager. Johan Manzambi opened the scoring on his 21st birthday, Nicolas Jackson added two, Ross Barkley scored twice inside a five minute spell, and Tammy Abraham made it six at the death.The post-mortem starts with the clean sheet. After weeks of worry about how Villa defend at home, Emery's own half-time talk about the mid and low block is a good place to begin, and the show asks why this team looked so much better in transition once the second half got going. It also looks at Fenerbahçe's lively start, the saves from Zion Suzuki that kept it goalless, and why an older side faded.Jackson gets the attention, his brace supporting the argument that he is the replacement Villa hoped Ollie Watkins would be. Plus, Manzambi's role and his impact as a hybrid forward who can move between positions is covered.The rest is about depth: Barkley, Abraham, Alysson, Aaron Wan-Bissaka at left-back and Leon Goretzka's Villa debut.A great night at Villa ParkUTV