Aston Villa vs. Stoke City final score: Villa look like depressing garbage in loss

Nope, not doing a full recap today. Here's what you need to know: Aston Villa lost 0-1 to Stoke City at Villa Park in a tepid affair that was every bit as bad as we were expecting. If we're honest, it probably should have been a 0-2 loss, but the linesman ruled Marko Arnautovic's first goal offside despite the fact that it really wasn't.

The worst part is that if you squinted it almost looked like a fun match to watch. There was a lot of back and forth between the two teams, and possession changed rapidly. But then you looked more closely and saw that it was simply because neither midfield was playing very well today and when it came time to actually DO something in the final third, both teams demurred.

If you want to know everything about this match, though, let me just give you this little tidbit: Tim Sherwood started with three defenders at the back. Jose Angel Crespo, Micah Richards, and Joleon Lescott. At halftime he abandoned that plan for his usual 4-3-3 and Crespo got to stay on while Lescott got the hook. Yes, we're watching a Villa team in which Crespo is the preferable option.

But hey, it's a loss, you knew that. What else were you expecting from Aston Villa as they played one of the worst teams in the Premier League? The final 15 or so minutes showed some promise, but it's tough to care at this point. Promise gets you nothing unless you can make it happen consistently, and Villa certainly aren't.

Time for the international break. I'd recommend just ignoring football entirely.