FanPost

Reaction to 2-0 Villa Win Over FC Dallas

Thanks to 7500 for pointing out the live stream on YouTube as I got to take in a rare televised appearance by the Claret and Blues stateside. I can never seem to find a feed that doesn't require you to sign up for some crap or list yourself on some spam-generator.

But we were talking about the game in Dallas.

I felt like the back line in either half was okay. Okore makes a difference and Senderos looked decent as well. Chris Hurd playing back there might work out eventually, because he's quick and tough, but he did give one or two away in bad spots. I was even happy to see Hutton back. Look, the team cannot afford to leave any asset on the outside if they want to get anywhere. That kind of treatment is damaging to the team. On the sunny side of things, Stevens looked like he belonged out there.

I liked Gabby and Wiemann and Bent running around up top. Weimann's crossing run in front of Darren was good football and set Bent up to take advantage of a 2 on 2 situation by slotting the ball left. Nicely done by Bentie.

I think the midfield is showing signs of life. The trio of Delph, Westwood and Gardner was decent if unspectacular. I like Gardner and I think if he stays healthy, we've got another good option.

I liked N'Zogbia running at the Dallas defense and his strike was a bit of a gimme because I thought that neither the wall nor the keeper were set up right. Look at any replay and you can see Charles probably couldn't believe he was staring at the open left side of the net from 22 yards. Crazy. But we'll have it.

But the prize of the night was Jack Grealish. This young kid looks every bit the EPL starting left wing for Villa. Wonderful touch. Clever. Picks the right passes. Movement off the ball was right on. I can't remember who he set up in the first half, but in one of the few spells going forward Jackie-Tall-Hair split a crease in the Dallas defense with a pass that we haven't seen in the attacking third of a Villa match in quite some time.

Now, okay, it was an MLS side. And you have to give them credit they had the better of the possession in the first half. But what I found first-half attractive while we were not threatening anything more than a beer run to the fridge was that our shape and composure in defense was really solid. FC Dallas had the ball a lot in the first half but they had almost zero opportunity to look at the goal. Good things.

In the second half, Villa turned the possession tables. Perhaps the heat had started to siphon off the stadium floor. But the team looked much more attractive in the second half and, to my liking, our work in defense remained rock solid.

It may be too much to read into one preseason match, but it does show an inkling of the good that can come from a blend of veteran leadership with healthy doses of young talented players. If the Villa academy is starting to show up, this bodes well for the future. Perhaps Lambert is starting to figure it out.

This FanPost was contributed by a member of the community and was not subject to any sort of approval process. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions held by the editors of this site.

Trending Discussions