View From The Holte End - AVFC

A quick word on Man City: they made it very comfortable for us. They looked very vulnerable to breaks. Their tactic of fouling us every time we got the ball didn't work. Is there a more tedious tactic? Must be painful to watch every week, I'm sure it contributes to the poor atmosphere at their place

Bouba - simply magnificent.

Onana - I've got high hopes for him, and I'm sure he's as frustrated as anyone with the injuries that have held him back so far for us. But after a slightly shaky start he was brilliant on Sunday. Used his physicality when needed, but was great on the ball too. He could be such a big player for us.

Pau - He's back. Now, I've always liked Pau, but last season he wasn't at his best (I think I've heard he was carrying a knock). This year, though, he's been great. There was one ball he played, when, under pressure, he dropped it into Barkley to put us on the front foot, that was just so good.

Ezri Konsa - I'll be completely honest here, at the start of the season I thought we might need an upgrade at RCB. But Konsa's performances have gone up a notch this year. He's taking more responsibility with and without the ball, and he's becoming one of the best defenders in the league.

Matty Cash - aside from his goal (which I was not expecting from his left foot!) I thought he did a great job against whoever he came up against. I think he loves games like that, where the team sit back a bit and he can just focus on his man. City played into our hands, really.

We were great on Sunday, really showed the best of lots of different aspects of our game. Played great stuff, but also dug in. One of those great team performances, where everyone did their job. Difficult to pick out a man of the match as there were quite a few top performances. #avfc

What does the Monchi exit mean? Is it that Unai has seen poor recruitment, combined with a collapse in player morale, and decided that Monchi is largely to blame for that? Or is it a sign that everything is starting to fall apart? The 'tight knit triumvirate' has unraveled. We'll find out very soon.

My optimism has nearly completely evaporated... I'm starting to worry about the players wanting to play the way Unai wants them too. We've definitely got more solid at the back, but we create very little. Not sure how you solve our issues - just got to trust that Unai does, I guess!

Great! Then you can join me for the crushing hit of reality later tonight after another 0-0 (Brentford win 3-0 on penalties)...

Oh, I can absolutely see that too. But tonight is a great opportunity to make a change. Unai must see what we see, and his reaction at the end of the game on Saturday shows he's not happy with things are going - obviously. I think we'll see a different approach tonight. I just pray it works...

Tonight's the night... A tranquil island of freedom amongst the crashing tides of the season so far. Elliot, Sancho, Guessand and Donny to be given a chance to show what they can do. The defence keeps up its excellent record so far this season. From here, we build a platform... 3-0 Villa.

Is tonight the night that things start to turn for #avfc? It's a great opportunity: less pressure, chance to try a few different things with selection and structure, redemption for a few weeks ago. It could be the jolt we need. Hope we play with a bit more freedom, pace and zip.

That's nice of him to say, but has he warned poor Harvey about all the fireworks?!?

There's too much at stake for everyone for it to drag on. He needs to play & we need him. With the UEL squad deadline tonight, he's not going anywhere. He just needs to get the manager & players on side, and the fans will follow. He's acted like an idiot, but it's hardly out of character, is it?

William Osula has no significant strengths

Apparently we're after Will Osula? I know nothing about him, so looked him up. At this point, you just have to find it funny. #avfc

Yeah, it seems an obvious flaw in our policy if every player is up sale at the right price. I understand why we need to think like, but how are the manager and players supposed to know where they stand when everything could change overnight? It's all a bit of a mess while the window is open.

I think one of the most concerning things is the shift in mentality. Tyrone's comments, both post-match and after the Ramsey transfer, seems to suggest that there are players that want out - and Ramsey wasn't one of them. It's not a happy squad right now, and I don't know how you fix that. #avfc

• Sancho may or may not be part of the Martinez deal
• Paqueta is playing for West Ham today
• Asensio may be off to Turkey

I don't have the capacity to decide whether this is net positive news or not. #avfc

Not sure about you, but I'm struggling to keep up with the news today. In summary:

• Martinez is off to Man United
• We're replacing him with either Diogo Costa from Porto or Senne Lammens from Antwerp
• We're getting Lindelof in as backup CB
(Cont.)

Agreed. We need to use him correctly, and find a way to get the best out of him and Rogers together. I just think because it's not an exciting, unknown player, people are forgetting how good he can be. Asensio has the ability to win matches - something we haven't done yet!

He could be a great signing for us. He could bring out the best in other players, and we can all see the squad needs a bit of a lift. Him and Guessand could transform how we attack when they're both up to speed (and have earned Unai's trust). It's a risk, but one worth taking imho. #avfc

• How he'll fit into the 2025/26 version of Aston Villa
• The length (and terms) of his contract

There is just so much we don't know. We've seen him play. We know he can be game-changing, but he can also go missing. We know he has a lot of experience, but we know he lacks physicality. (Cont.)

Quite how anyone can be so sure of anything about this signing, I have no idea. There are just too many variables that we don't know enough about.

• What fee we'll pay
• Whether that means we can't make any other signings
• Whether we'll see the Asensio that first joined or the one that tailed off

Over on the other place (which, in a moment of weakness I had a look at in a desperate search for transfer rumours) there seems to be two opinions on the potential Asensio signing - 1) It's a brilliant move for a quality player. 2) It's a complete waste of money (and Coutinho gets a mention) (cont.)

Guessand will make a huge difference, and he'll come into the team soon. Maybe from Sunday. Our squad will improve. That bite and speed will return. We haven't become a bad side, we've just had two flat performances. I have faith that from Sunday we'll start seeing the Villa we are used to. #UTV

That's why I'm remaining positive about this season. We will make a couple of signings, even if they are on loan, which will massively help our squad. As soon as the transfer window closes, all of the focus is on the pitch. And we have a squad that keeps performing. And of course, the best manager.

Some things are stacked against us. But we can't wallow in that, because we'll just make things even harder for ourselves. We need an injection of energy, through the entire club. On the pitch and off it. We need to be masters of our own destiny, not meekly accept that everything is difficult.

Attitude. More and more we're hearing from the club that the rules aren't fair. That is absolutely true, and part of me is happy that we're vocalising that. But it just feels like the club as a whole is moping. That's not going to get results. Harness the injustice in a positive way. It's us Vs them

Transfers. From the outside, it looks like we're in trouble on this front. We have to sell, but we can't replace the players we sell with that money. Meanwhile, most of the teams around us, and the ones we're trying to catch up with, have spent hundreds of millions of pounds.