Baffling. After a week of circumspect rambling from Lambert surrounding the value he places upon on the FA Cup, he proceeded to name a near full strength team.
Mind games? Misquoted? Who knows.
Most worryingly, the Villa team laboured and fell to utter humiliation against third tier Sheffield United. Regardless of our motivations, the performance was utterly predictable. An insipid showing of sideways passing and limp attempts to breakdown an organised back four.
Villa were entirely static, bereft of craft and totally at a loss of how to win the football match. From the Holte End, this was painful viewing. Again.
United deserved their victory, and I wish them well for the remainder of the competition. They were organised, showed great ingenuity going forward and barring a couple of rash attempts, looked to make and take their chances. Paul Lambert could do well to take note of a forward thinking philosophy, beyond hoofball.
As United boarded their bus home, they must have struggled to understand quite how Aston Villa are 12th in the Premier League. Indeed Most fans probably do.
With a Chairman/owner is absence and Lambert clearly tasked to safeguard top flight status (and prize money), this type of result will continue to rear itself. The question remains, who will continue to pay to see it?
Ratings:
Steer – 5/10 – A small deputy for Guzan.
Lowton – 4/10 – Erratic form continues.
Clarke – 3/10 – Captain? Seriously? Embarassing.
Luna 3/10 – Struggled once again.
Bacuna – 5/10 – Wasted at full back.
Westwood – 4/10 – Lost at sea.
Delph – 4/10 – Laboured and looked tired.
Tonev – 5/10 – Not his worst showing.
Albrighton – 6/10 – Good effort; limited end product.
Benteke – 3/10 – Guilty of 2 criminal misses.
Wiemann – 2/10 – Anonymous Austrian.
Helenius (Sub) – 7/10 – Cool finish and looked lively when introduced.