T R I N I T Y B E A R D S

AVFC 🟪🟦
Photography 📸

[John Townley @johntownley11]

Unai Emery's programme notes: "Let me disagree with the concept we have been reading – mainly from afar – that we have lost our 'spine'. No. We have changed some players. But the spine of this football club is our culture, from the board to the stands, the demands and high standards in our organisation, the sense of belonging of a huge fanbase and the overall rational management."

#AVFC

[Opac Jr @OP4C]

Like Konsa it happened spontaneously and coincidentally right after moving to a greedy 6 club

[João Gomes @GomesOficial08]

Glória a Jesus, Sonho realizado 🙏🏼
Champions League ✅
Vitória, +3 pontos ✔️

[Jacob Tanswell @J_Tanswell]

John McGinn speaking last night: "The players who have left have decided the opportunities they’ve had are probably better for them but there is nothing better than playing for Aston Villa in the Champions League." #AVFC

[John McGinn @jmcginn7]

That’s more like it!! UP THE VILLA 💜

[Paddy Power @paddypower]

GOAL! Aston Villa are back in front through a Buendia finish on the end of a move smoother than Belgian chocolate! 1-2

[DM @DAMcGuffie]

Hmm strange how I never saw these videos when he played for Villa..

Weird that! #AVFC

[GerryTheGeordie @TunawithaCh]

3 million 😂😂😂 McGinn has paid that back 30x over. #AVFC

[João Gomes @GomesOficial08]

+3 ✔️

[Paddy Power @paddypower]

John McGinn backing into defenders before curling left footed beauties into the net this consistently needs to be studied.

[UEFA Champions League @ChampionsLeague]

First goalscorer of the Champions League season: John McGinn ⚽

[John McGinn @jmcginn7]

UTV 💜

[Stef @avfc_stef]

This has been a 9/10 transfer window.

Old and tired? Gone.
Want out? Gone.
Flirting with other clubs again? Gone.

And unlike previous windows… we didn’t hang around.

Tielemans gone? Bang! Gomes!
Martinez going? Bang! Suzuki!
Watkins going? Bang! Jackson!

The recruitment team were clearly well prepared… ready to pull the trigger as soon as a sale dropped. Sometimes prepared to swoop before the related sale even finalised to make sure we were secure.

Window after window of scrabbling for desperate signings on deadline day…

Now we sit, relaxed, on deadline day - watching others chase players up and down the UK’s motorways. Well within any financial restrictions with a strong mix of dynamism, power, youth and experience signed and sealed.

Need more pace? Got it.
Need lower wages? Got it.
Need a younger squad? Got it.
Need better deep distribution? Got it.

While the uninitiated in wider media spoke half-truths and tried to sow seeds of panic and discord - our leadership remained level headed.

Mapped-out. Intelligent. Calm. Professional.

As our badge used to say… we were Prepared.

UTV

[Aston Villa @AstonVilla]

The next chapter has begun.

[No Context Prem @NoContextEPL]

Tottenham have now lost more league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium than Arsenal have at the Emirates.

Tottenham moved into their new stadium 13 years after Arsenal did🤯

[Steven @SD_cotopaxi]

#avfc #thfc

[T R I N I T Y B E A R D S @trinitybeards92]

He's right. Newcastle did walk into a completely different Spurs.

One that is worse than last season and that's some feat.

[SpursXtra @SpursXtra_]

Newcastle are walking into a completely different #Spurs.

Savinho has arrived. Marmoush has arrived. Fernandes pulling the strings. Tonali is hunting. Kudus is back.

And now we get to see what De Zerbi-ball looks like when the stakes are real.

Pray for Newcastle. #THFC #COYS

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🟣🔵 BREAKING: Aston Villa reach verbal agreement on deal to sign Ibrahima Mbaye, here we go! 💥

Senegal winger to join #AVFC from Paris Saint-Germain after leaving negotiations for Leão; Mbaye, a long term target for the club.

Fee worth €55m, as @FabriceHawkins @David_Ornstein reported.

[EBL @EBL2017]

Aston Villa are particularly unique with how they deal with direct play.

They prefer to keep their back 4 in tact and let their most aerially dominant midfielder challenge for the ball.

That's why Onana's absence is a blow, as is Konsa's departure because it has moved Lindelöf back into defence.

Goretzka will help in this regard.

But it also reduces the demands for Villa's centre backs to be especially dominant aerially. Good box defenders, sure, but they don't need to be monsters in this regard because of how Emery deals with this moment tactically.

That's why they had success with Konsa and Torres, neither of which are especially dominant in the air.

It's also why the links to Harwood-Bellis, Todibo and other similar centre backs may seem underwhelming on the face of it but are actually good profiles for what Emery requires (technically quality, mobility, and good box defending).

But if the midfield is going to be Kamara + Gomes then Villa will need another aerially dominant figure somewhere in central defensive areas, otherwise they will be light in both midfield and defence in this regard.

[EBL @EBL2017]

Aston Villa in crisis?

I don't see it, even after the 4-0 defeat to Brighton and the departure of over half of their XI (almost all of which are key players).

They have replaced aging players with players with top potential + players entering their prime whilst breaking even or potentially even making profit in the market.

They have also recruited and maintained enough good people, leaders, and experienced players to sustain the cultural standards at the club.

Martinez 33, Susuki 24.
Digne 33, Ruggeri 24.
Konsa 28, Cisse 21 (although their level has dropped at centre half).
Tielemans 29, Gomes 25.
Watkins 30, Jackson 25.

Also added Garnacho, Manzambi, and Mbaye on top of their youth prospects in Madjo and Hemmings.

Forget the media narrative. The alternative was keeping aging stars, not commanding big fee's for them as they age, and not being able to replace them because money wasn't brought into the club!

It's an excellent transfer window and I firmly believe that Villa will remain competitive in Europe and challenge for Europe domestically once again, even if it might take their season a little while to get going because the change has been so drastic.

These are exciting times for Aston Villa, especially after retaining Unai Emery despite the turnover in the squad.

Looking forward to watching them next season ✌️