7500 To Holte - Aston Villa vs Manchester City 2015 Premier League: Villa end losing streak with hard-fought drawVilla Til We Cryhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46611/7500-fave.png2015-11-25T13:55:16+00:00http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/rss/stream/94479952015-11-25T13:55:16+00:002015-11-25T13:55:16+00:00The point that felt like three.
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<p>A changing of the Garde brings in a new vibe at Villa Park</p> <p>If you told me that you could 'roar' a team to victory before the match against Manchester City, I'd have called you a fucking liar. There's 22 players on the pitch, their ability is not changed nor altered because you've swam through five pints of lager and are getting a bit rowdy and waving a little flag around.</p>
<p>Well, when Fabian Delph stumbled every time the Holte End shook the ground beneath his feet, and every time he looked short of confidence as Manchester City pressed Aston Villa into a corner in a lunge for victory, I felt like I was changing the course of Villa's season myself. Of course, don't just take my word for it - I'd taken the effort to record Fabian Delph's Villa Park return.</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://instagram.com/p/91FrUVDBJ0/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"> </a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by James Rushton (@jamorushton) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2015-11-08T15:51:25+00:00">Nov 8, 2015 at 7:51am PST</time></p>
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<p>The artistry of 20,000 people screaming 'wanker' at one human being is unmatched. Damian Hirst can keep his petrified half-sharks - I'll happily take a podgy finger screaming obscene semi-lyrics at a young footballer over an artsy-farty can of soup <i>any day</i> of the week. A verbal onslaught clouded the whole match as words</p>
<p>What is success to a Villa fan? It's weird. Success to me isn't a trophy win or an unbeaten streak, like it might be for fans of other clubs. Success is what happened during Villa's last home game with Manchester City, a point against one of the best teams in England - well earned and hard fought. I think there was a stigma against American fans a while ago, who were seemingly believed to have thought soccer a boring game because you can have a scoreless match; after the nil-nil with Manchester City, I'm pretty sure that everyone can agree that soccer is not a boring sport at all.</p>
<p>Thus far at Villa Park, I'd struggled to believe that the crowd, as loud & loyal fans, could have an effect on a match. After all I'd watched the Villa succumb to Sunderland and waver before West Brom. How could I believe that I could change the outcome of a match against Man City? What basis of proof did I have that would lead me to believe that notion?</p>
<p>I felt that I was proven wrong and in every single way, as one Fabian Delph made his way back to B6. For the three people who perhaps don't know what happened - Fabian Delph left Villa under controversial circumstances in the summer. You can easily google the actual story, so I'm going to take some time to reflect on the situation with some funny analogies on the whole palava.</p>
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<p><i>It was like going to McDonalds, ordering a Big Mac, then shouting your head off about how much you love Big Macs seconds before plowing the filthy little burger into the head of the server.</i></p>
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<p><i>It was like telling the baying crowd before you that you were going to launch into an awesome stagedive only to fly into a dropkick and take out those who love you.</i></p>
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<p><i>It was like turning your car around, having decided to go in a different direction.</i></p>
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<p>There was nothing morally wrong about what Fabian Delph did. He chose to take more money and do the same job. Who in their right mind wouldn't do that? Of course, we're in football world - so he gets called a wanker (and quite rightly so). He doesn't <i>just</i> get called a wanker though, does he? He gets called a wanker so loud one would think the kraken has awoken for a mid-afternoon snack. That kind of loud.</p>
<p>So did I feel that I had some kind of effect as Delph stumbled upon his Villa Park return? Yeah, I bloody well did.</p>
<p>Back to the draw. As Villa edged the match out under a siege fire, Villa Park felt more like the Alamo than a stadium near Perry Barr. Brad Guzan saved a goal with his noggin, his arms, his crossbar, his feat, Micah Richard's head - he was pretty unstoppable, which makes a massive change from the terrible run of form he seems to be stuck in(*His antics would return in the next match against Everton, where he dropped a few clangers..). I'll not forget the scream of delight as the final whistle sounded under a barrage of shots from a dominant Manchester City. It was great, and hopefully the video I've captured below will do it some form of justice.</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a target="_blank" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/91Gm8EjBMI/">The point that felt like three. #AVFC</a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by James Rushton (@jamorushton) on <time datetime="2015-11-08T15:59:33+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Nov 8, 2015 at 7:59am PST</time></p>
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<p>We head into the next home game and will welcome Watford after a 4-0 thrashing by a solid Everton side. Remi Garde inspired Aston Villa against Manchester City and will have to prove that Villa's result against Everton was the outlier. One thing's for sure - it will take more than a single point for me to leave Aston with a smile on my face, as I did for the first time this season when we played Manchester City and stole the point that (didn't) shake the world.</p>
https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2015/11/25/9751494/aston-villa-manchester-city-draw-villa-park-fans-matchJames Rushton2015-11-09T18:26:53+00:002015-11-09T18:26:53+00:00Villa 0-0 Man City Tactics Talk
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<figcaption>Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Tactical set-ups: </b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a title="Click to view tactic" href="http://sharemytactics.com/56253/"><img alt="Aston Villa vs Manchester City 2015-16 vs Away team - Football tactics and formations" src="http://sharemytactics.com/56253/Aston-Villa-vs-Manchester-City-2015-16-Away-team-formation-tactics.png"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/">Aston Villa</a>: </b>Rémi Garde wasted no time in stamping his mark on the team with six changes and a 4-1-4-1 formation using Carlos Sánchez as a sitting midfielder behind Idrissa Gana and Jordan Veretout. On the flanks, <span>Scott Sinclair</span> and <span>Carles Gil</span> were set-up to tuck inside, though Sinclair moved out left when attacking while Gil cut inside. Jordan Amavi and <span>Ciaran Clark</span> returned as the left side of the defence.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a>: </b>Manuel Pelligrini opted for the City standard 4-2-3-1. In the continued absence of <span>David Silva</span> and Sergio Aguero, <span>Wilfried Bony</span> started up top supported by the attacking trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Touré and Raheem Sterling. Behind them were Fernandinho and Fernando, the former of whom drifted upfield. <span>Aleksandar Kolarov</span> was a very attacking left-back in City's solid defensive unit.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>First-half: Compact Villa frustrate City</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>City forced wide as Touré falters and Sánchez shines: </b>Garde's obvious first priority was to get his team set out in an organized fashion and his 4-1-4-1 did the job well. City had ripped apart Sevilla in the week when their powerful midfield unit pressed high before their wide players finished the job.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">To stop it, Garde flooded the midfield, placing Sánchez in his favoured deep-lying role while Gana and Veretout buzzed energetically ahead of him. City struggled to get the ball into dangerous areas centrally, especially when Bony went off after 25 minutes and De Bryune took up the advanced central position while Jesús Navas went to the right wing. Villa blocked the passing lanes and <span>Micah Richards</span> and Ciaran Clark stepped up well when needed. Yaya Touré was particularly subdued, dropping deep rather than cutting through the centre.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">City's threat was reduced largely to the left, where Gil occasionally gambled on receiving the ball and let Kolarov get a headstart on him, where he combined dangerously with Sterling, which resulted in two of City's shots in the first-half. <span>Brad Guzan</span> did just enough to stave them off.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Villa's possession a useful defensive tool, not so much offensively: </b>Villa retained possession very well in the first-half, with Sánchez, Gil, Veretout (after the first 20 minutes) and Ayew all very tidy. That ball retention minimized City's attacking chances, though the Villa Park crowed was occasionally frustrated as the ball headed back to Guzan from the City half.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">However the possession resulted in little by the way of attack. City's defence is one of the best in the league and they suffocated Villa's attacking threats in Ayew and the Amavi-Sinclair combination. The one outball that they allowed was to <span>Alan Hutton</span> who had space down the right but never attempted to take-on Kolarov and his crosses were poor. Hutton will never equal Amavi's ability to beat his man and get to the byline and he needed Ayew and Sinclair to come over to his side to combine with down that wing, as Gil is more a playmaker than a winger. Instead they tended to wait in the centre for crosses that rarely made it past the first man, apart from a short spell when Sinclair drifted over to the right which it would have been nice to see continue.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Second-half: Substitutions and luck see Villa ride out the City onslaught</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Sterling/De Bruyne switch and Navas put Villa on the back-foot: </b>After a first-half when City only attempted three shots, they came out blazing in the second-half. Sterling swapped with De Bruyne and his movement in the box was much more uncomfortable for the Villa defence. Meanwhile Navas began to get the better of Amavi, who perhaps still isn't quite used to a 90 minute defensive performance against this quality of winger, and Villa were extremely lucky that from his crosses neither Sterling's header nor De Bruyne's attempted backheel found the net.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Garde guards his flanks: </b>Recognising that Villa were in danger of being overrun, Garde first put on <span>Charles N'Zogbia</span> for Gil and then <span>Leandro Bacuna</span> for Sinclair, in both cases looking to cover his full-backs with speedy players who could provide a threat on the counter-attack.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Villa conceded more possession without Gil on the pitch and were forced to bunker down in front of their goal, but City began to penetrate less easily from the wings. N'Zogbia even provided a couple of attacking flashes, getting a dangerous cross in from the byline. A final spell of sustained corners saw Fernando's header cannon off the crossbar and Fabian Delph's shot flash wide, but with that one last piece of luck, Villa saw out the draw.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Conclusions - Garde makes his own luck in a way Sherwood never did</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Let's be clear, this game could have been a 1, 2 or even 3-0 loss easily. Villa rode their luck enormously in the second-half when they had no answer to the quality of Sterling, De Bruyne and Navas. On the other hand, the fact that the side in 20th with seven losses in a row couldn't be a match over the 90 minutes for the league leaders and well over a £100 million of attacking talent shouldn't be a surprise.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Garde's job was simply to give them a fighting chance in a way that Sherwood's bizarre selections and substitutions never did. The formation did that, forcing City to go wide and take more difficult chances which they couldn't finish in the end. Players were in their proper positions and working as a clear unit, to earn a result, something rarely seen under <span>Tim Sherwood</span>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Perhaps the only tactical qualm was that of Carles Gil. The Spaniard was typically elegant and composed on the ball but was forced out wide due to the need to field three defensive midfielders against City. His occasional defensive lapses and his lack of speed on the counter showed why he prefers to be the No.10, the central attacking midfielder and surely in weeks where defence is not such a priority he'll be given a chance to excel in that role.</p>
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https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2015/11/9/9696824/aston-villa-0-0-manchester-city-tactics-talkAdamClark2015-11-08T18:09:25+00:002015-11-08T18:09:25+00:00Ciaran Clark to media: "You know."
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<figcaption>Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>It's like a new dance song. </p> <p>Today's result was pretty great, you know? And you know what Ciaran Clark thought of it?</p>
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<p>Well, now you know. This thing is absolutely magical.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;" align="center">Thank you for reading and following along with 7500 to Holte! If you'd like more like this be sure to check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/wasted-corners">Wasted Corner</a> hub that we've set up. Goals, videos, funny tweets, and the like will all be kept there for your easy access.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center">If you like following along on the blog, make sure to check out our Twitter feed, <a href="https://twitter.com/7500toholte" target="_blank">@7500toHolte</a>, where we provide updates throughout the week and a constant stream of live (and sometimes even happy!) commentary during matches. Our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/7500toHolte" target="_blank">Facebook feed</a> is a great source of humour and commentary as well!</p>
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https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/wasted-corners/2015/11/8/9692242/aston-villa-ciaran-clark-interview-manchester-cityRobert Lintott2015-11-08T16:55:57+00:002015-11-08T16:55:57+00:00Guzan saves the match WITH HIS FACE
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<figcaption>Mike Hewitt/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Brad Guzan didn't have the best day in goal, but this save was pretty great. </p> <p>Brad Guzan had yet another tough day in goal for Aston Villa. With his first goal/free-kick in front of new manager Rémi Garde, he booted it out of bounds. A few seconds before this clip, he had absolutely botched a Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick and was lucky that no City players were anywhere near the rebound.</p>
<p>But then? Then he went ahead and prevented Raheem Sterling from making it a 0-1 match by stopping a header. How? Well, <i>by accidentally getting his face in front of the ball</i>.</p>
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<p>I'm still unsure if that should count as a save. Clearly, Sterling should have sent the ball to one side or the other and he could have had an easy goal, but this was both better for Villa and far more hilarious.</p>
<p>And for as much as I didn't love Guzan's day in goal, he did get a clean sheet against the best team in England right now. That's a pretty good rebuttal.</p>
https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2015/11/8/9691746/aston-villa-brad-guzan-highlight-face-save-raheem-sterlingRobert Lintott2015-11-08T16:13:59+00:002015-11-08T16:13:59+00:00Gestede with the cheeky throw-in
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<figcaption>Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Joe Hart probably could have handled this better.</p> <p>Let's set the scene: <span>Charles N'Zogbia</span> has just taken a knock to the head and fallen on the pitch. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> kick the ball out of bounds to stop play and allow for treatment. As is standard, when Villa do in-bound the ball again, they give it back to Manchester City. This time, it was Rudy Gestede throwing-in to <span>Joe Hart</span>.</p>
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<p>A. Maz. Ing.</p>
<p>Could Gestede have perhaps thrown a more easy-to-deal-with ball? Certainly! Could Joe Hart have avoided the issue and not shown the ball control of <span>Brad Guzan</span>! Definitely! Look at how hard that ball was thrown. And how far Hart had to go to get to it. He could have just let it roll out for a goal kick.</p>
<p>Or, you know, he could have controlled the ball. Like a football player should.</p>
<p>I'm totally and hopelessly biased here, but even if it was a bit unsporting from Gestede, it was hilarious and amazing. And the fact that Gestede nearly scored on the ensuing corner made it even better. What a cheeky little moment.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://assets-dev.sbndev.net/sandbox-www-data-sb1_sbndev_net_/assets/962063/sandbox_Untitled-1_medium.gif" width="20"> <img src="http://assets-dev.sbndev.net/sandbox-www-data-sb1_sbndev_net_/assets/962063/sandbox_Untitled-1_medium.gif" width="20"> <img src="http://assets-dev.sbndev.net/sandbox-www-data-sb1_sbndev_net_/assets/962063/sandbox_Untitled-1_medium.gif" width="20"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center">Thank you for reading and following along with 7500 to Holte! If you'd like more like this be sure to check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/wasted-corners">Wasted Corner</a> hub that we've set up. Goals, videos, funny tweets, and the like will all be kept there for your easy access.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center">If you like following along on the blog, make sure to check out our Twitter feed, <a href="https://twitter.com/7500toholte" target="_blank">@7500toHolte</a>, where we provide updates throughout the week and a constant stream of live (and sometimes even happy!) commentary during matches. Our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/7500toHolte" target="_blank">Facebook feed</a> is a great source of humour and commentary as well!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;" align="center">And if you're not a member of the site yet, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=290" target="_blank">join by clicking here</a>! It's free, easy, and it will let you start joining us in the comments below and anywhere else on the site. We look forward to hearing from you!</p>
https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/wasted-corners/2015/11/8/9691606/aston-villa-rudy-gestede-joe-hart-throw-inRobert Lintott2015-11-08T15:59:27+00:002015-11-08T15:59:27+00:00Hissssssssssssssssssssssss
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<figcaption>Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Watch from the Holte End as Fabian Delph takes the pitch.</p> <p>We all knew that <span>Fabian Delph</span> wasn't going to receive the warmest of welcomes if he stepped onto the pitch at Villa Park. And from our own James Rushton, we can now experience it as if we were in the Holte End!</p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a target="_blank" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" href="https://instagram.com/p/91FrUVDBJ0/"> </a></p>
<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A video posted by James Rushton (@jamorushton) on <time datetime="2015-11-08T15:51:25+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Nov 8, 2015 at 7:51am PST</time></p>
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<p>Seems about right.</p>
<p align="center"><img width="20" src="http://assets-dev.sbndev.net/sandbox-www-data-sb1_sbndev_net_/assets/962063/sandbox_Untitled-1_medium.gif"> <img width="20" src="http://assets-dev.sbndev.net/sandbox-www-data-sb1_sbndev_net_/assets/962063/sandbox_Untitled-1_medium.gif"> <img width="20" src="http://assets-dev.sbndev.net/sandbox-www-data-sb1_sbndev_net_/assets/962063/sandbox_Untitled-1_medium.gif"></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: left;">Thank you for reading and following along with 7500 to Holte! If you'd like more like this be sure to check out the <a href="http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/wasted-corners" target="_blank">Wasted Corner</a> hub that we've set up. Goals, videos, funny tweets, and the like will all be kept there for your easy access.</p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: left;">If you like following along on the blog, make sure to check out our Twitter feed, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/7500toholte">@7500toHolte</a>, where we provide updates throughout the week and a constant stream of live (and sometimes even happy!) commentary during matches. Our <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/7500toHolte">Facebook feed</a> is a great source of humour and commentary as well!</p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: left;">And if you're not a member of the site yet, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=290">join by clicking here</a>! It's free, easy, and it will let you start joining us in the comments below and anywhere else on the site. We look forward to hearing from you!</p>
https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/wasted-corners/2015/11/8/9691574/watch-fabian-delph-receives-a-warm-welcome-from-aston-villa-fans-inRobert Lintott2015-11-08T11:00:02+00:002015-11-08T11:00:02+00:00AVFC-MCFC: How to watch, lineups, open thread
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<figcaption>Bennett Berry</figcaption>
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<p>Aston Villa take on Manchester City in Rémi Garde's first match as manager, and we've got everything you need to follow along. </p> <p>How's this for a tough landing for Rémi Garde? His first match in the Premier League taking charge of a team with whom the word "struggling" doesn't want to associate and he has to face a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> side who haven't been below second place since August. Comparing these two squads would be folly, as with their money and resources, City have built a club that is better in every way to what <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/">Aston Villa</a> currently have.</p>
<p>But the interesting thing is that it all means nothing. City have lost twice this season, to Tottenham and perhaps even more embarrassingly to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bracethehammer.sbnation.com/">West Ham United</a>. The match today is at Villa Park in front of a crowd who will be eager to cheer on a new manager, see their first home win of the season, and vehemently boo the returning Fabian Delph. The atmosphere will be there, and Villa could have a good day that coincides with a bad day from City. Stranger things have happened than Villa getting three points here.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, a win (or even a draw) remains unlikely. Don't put too much into the result today. Instead, look at how the team is responding to their new manager. How they're playing. Because after this, we get an international break that will give Garde plenty of time to start doing what he wants from the club.</p>
<p>It's been a while since I could genuinely say this, but I'm excited for what today has in store. Maybe it won't be the shock of a result, but it should be fun no matter what.</p>
<p><b>Location: </b>Villa Park, Birmingham, England</p>
<p><b>Kick-off time:</b> 1:30 PM GMT, 8:30 AM Eastern, 5:30 AM Pacific</p>
<p><b>Available TV:</b> Sky Sports 1 (UK), NBCSN (US), NBC Universo (US)</p>
<p><b>Available streaming:</b> <a href="http://plstream8.nbcsports.com?cid=sbnation/" target="_blank">NBC Sports Live Extra</a> (US), SKY GO Extra (UK), Sky Go UK (UK), NOW TV UK (UK)</p>
<p><b>Available radio:</b> TalkSport Radio (UK), AVTV (subscription required), Westwood One Sports (US)</p>
<p>For listings in other countries, check out <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/1613968/aston-villa-vs-manchester-city/" target="_blank">LiveSoccerTV.com</a>.</p>
<h4>Aston Villa squad</h4>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Team news: Confirmed <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AVFC?src=hash">#AVFC</a> side to face <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MCFC?src=hash">#MCFC</a> this afternoon. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AVLMCI?src=hash">#AVLMCI</a> <a href="https://t.co/Qx5N58smfr">pic.twitter.com/Qx5N58smfr</a></p>— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/663332658148175872">November 8, 2015</a>
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<h4>Manchester City squad</h4>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mcfc?src=hash">#mcfc</a> line-up in full to face <a href="https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial">@AVFCOfficial</a>... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/villavcity?src=hash">#villavcity</a> <a href="https://t.co/m086nDL1Tm">pic.twitter.com/m086nDL1Tm</a></p>— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MCFC/status/663333261071015936">November 8, 2015</a>
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https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2015/11/8/9683030/aston-villa-manchester-city-2015-online-streaming-time-tv-schedule-team-newsRobert Lintott2015-11-07T17:00:02+00:002015-11-07T17:00:02+00:00AVFC v. MCFC: Garde takes charge with a challenge
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<figcaption>Ben Hoskins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Rémi Garde has a tough task in his first match as Aston Villa manager as Manchester City visits B6.</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> are good.</p>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/">Aston Villa</a>… are not.</p>
<p>Good luck, Rémi Garde!</p>
<p> </p>
<h4>What to know about Aston Villa</h4>
<p>Jordan Ayew is a good footballer.</p>
<p>In the last three games, he’s scored, won a penalty and scored. Three games, three direct contributions to goals.</p>
<p>Can we start him, please?</p>
<p>In reality, it’s tough to say too much about Villa — and I feel I say that a lot, but it’s particularly true. Sunday offers our first glimpse at what new man Rémi Garde is going to do with this squad. <span>Carles Gil</span> also looked good Monday night at White Hart Lane, but you never know what a new manager’s going to see.</p>
<p>I’m hoping we see a dynamic, pace-filled side Sunday against City, especially given the task that’s at hand.</p>
<p>If you think back to two years ago, Villa hit perfectly on the counterattack to win 3-2 — a similar performance will be required to get something from this one.</p>
<p> </p>
<h4>What to know about Manchester City</h4>
<p>There’s some midfielder who used to play for Villa at City, apparently, but I thought <span>James Milner</span> left for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>?</p>
<p>Anyway, they’re very, very good.</p>
<p>Kevin de Bruyne has been an excellent acquisition for the Cityzens, and with him coming off the bench midweek in the Champions League, I’d be shocked if he isn’t in the starting XI for <span>Manuel Pellegrini</span>’s side this week.</p>
<p>Add in <span>Raheem Sterling</span> and Yaya Touré, and Villa will have their hands full Sunday at Villa Park — Garde catches a break, as he won’t have to deal with <span>David Silva</span> and Sergio Agüero.</p>
<p>Regardless, this is another match where no matter what Villa do, they’ll need their opponents off their game to snatch even a point.</p>
<p> </p>
<h4>The odds</h4>
<p><b>Bovada:</b> Villa 13/2, City 2/5, Draw 77/20<br><b>Paddy Power:</b> Villa 7/1, City 2/5, Draw 15/4<br><b>SkyBet:</b> Villa 6/1, City 2/5, Draw 15/4</p>
<p> </p>
<h4>The prediction</h4>
<p>I’d typically be super cynical, but I’ve got a decent feeling about this one.</p>
<p>Ayew and <span>Scott Sinclair</span> hit on the counterattack as Villa snatch a point.</p>
<p>Aston Villa 2, Manchester City 2</p>
https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2015/11/7/9687804/preview-garde-takes-charge-with-the-biggest-possible-challengeAlexander Carson