| Middlesbrough | Aston Villa | ||
| Chester Abraham Whelan |
20′ 64′ 83′ |
||
| Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
43% 10 3 2 12 |
Possession Shots On target Corners Fouls |
35% 20 7 7 11 |
Bolasie batters bruised Boro
Both sides finished their midweek fixtures leaving their respective fans perplexed. Villa had managed a 5-5 draw against AK’s Forest whilst Boro had managed to shoot themselves in both feet with questionable selections and even worse tactics. In the build-up I reckoned that both Managers would be looking to go back to the drawing board for this one with risk aversion being high on their thinking.
Injuries and suspension seemed to be Villa’s main cause for concern during the week with the former Boro naughty stepper out injured, a few doubts surrounding McGinn and Alan Hutton definitely suspended for this one. Play Off scorer Mile Jedinak was supposedly close to a return from injury as was Keinan Davis but Birkir Bjarnason and Henri Lansbury are both still a few weeks away from returning.
For Tony Pulis he had Shotton close to being back and a question mark over Lewis Wing’s real reason for departing the pitch on Tuesday night. Was it a dodgy takeaway to blame or a slight case of concussion for Lewis? The second diagnosis was never “officially” referred to by name, I suspect to avoid the statutory steward’s enquiry and the enforced lay off plan. The one definite absentee for Boro however would be Rudy Gestede after limping off in the opening thirty minutes at Deepdale.
Ex Boro target, Bolasie would likely be lining up for the first time against us since he rebuffed Pulis believing that his transport links needs were better served in the West Midlands with then new gaffer Steve Bruce. This is the first meeting of the sides since Boro defended for 180 minutes with one questionable shot on target as TP tried to draw his way into the Play Off Final last May. Boro fans were hoping for a little more entrepreneurial spirit tonight from the Red Shirts as Villa managed to keep four clean sheets in five games against us last season. Dean Smith has a more vibrant style about his sides so they could be more open at the back than Bruce’s Villa especially without the veteran Hutton with Elmohamady likely to deputise.
Teams were exactly as expected with Elmohamady in for Hutton and Boro going with the Brentford team. The opening ten minutes saw Villa take the game to Boro with Hugill isolated and Tav playing a dual role in getting back supporting Friend and also getting up the pitch trying to offer support for Hugill. A quick series of impressive Villa passing saw Bolasie wide left slide a ball in front of the retreating Boro defensive line with Abraham connecting on the penalty spot to force Randolph into a great save. If the opening ten minutes were anything to go by it was going to be a long night for Boro as we looked like we were still in Preston.
Worryingly Villa were carving Boro open and getting men into the Boro box with ease whilst Boro rushed and struggled to clear their lines as a result of being pushed back so deep. Friend was lucky to get away with a rash challenge on Abraham as he upended the youngster on the edge of the box with just eighteen minutes gone. The Villa pressure was showing no sign of abating and unless Boro could find an outlet and some way of organised containment a goal was in the offing. A cleverly worked corner routine was flapped at by Randolph with Chester running in at the far post, free to tap in past a despairing Batth.
Tavernier single-handedly responded by turning Elmohamady and getting a cross in but it was behind Hugill and with nobody in Red following up the chance of an early reply was gone. Tavernier again turned Elmohamady to earn a free kick allowing a set piece for the CB’s to get up into the Villa box. But our set pieces are now infamous for all the wrong reasons and the result was nothing. At this stage Villa had a surplus of quick, skilful players and Boro had Tavernier and that was it. There was at least some fightback from Boro now but Villa looked like they could break at will and punish us if we weren’t careful. A Series of desperate last ditch shadow chasing tackles had replaced the more assured Boro defensive style of play from a few weeks back.
A Besic ball to the far side of the Villa box saw Dael Fry come in late and win a Corner which when delivered went back out for another Boro Corner at the SE corner beside the away fans. Besic delivered this one in but was collected by Nyland who hadn’t been remotely troubled up until that point. A run from Besic was spotted by Downing who fed him in and the Bosnian at least tested Nyland. This was the best from Boro so far and led to the first real serious threat on Nyland’s goal ending with a flurry of attempts and Downing blocking Hugill’s shot in an offside position. Four minutes before the half-time whistle Clayts saved us from going two down when Villa all too easily walked the ball into the Boro box and a last ditch tackle seemingly done enough to either unnerve McGinn or take it off his toes.
Conor Hourihane probably should have been yellow carded for a cynical challenge near the end of the half but considering the earlier Abraham penalty appeal when George clattered him perhaps we got the rub of the green overall. The half ended with Boro looking a bit livelier than they had been in the opening half hour thanks mainly to Tav, Hugill and Downing. Besic and Howson were working but there was no magic, no creative spark or that extra dimension from the midfield that Boro desperately needed. It was as bad a half as we have witnessed all season from Boro.
TP had a tough task during the interval in figuring out how to get us back into the game because up until now Villa looked far sharper, organised and in total control of the game. The problem for TP was that his options from the bench were limited in terms of adding some potency and zest with probably only Lewis Wing capable of a wonder moment. Dean Smith had totally out thought and out planned TP during the first 45 minutes and we could consider ourselves fortunate to be only one goal down.
The teams came out for the second half with no changes from either Manager. A false start saw Boro kick off again and Tav and Friend took the ball down the left flank at least showing some intent from the half time team talk. Tav weaved some magic and set up Howson on the edge of the box but he was closed down quickly. A series of headers was contested by Hugill who eventually won possession but it was played out wide and after a few meaningless balls it ended up in the middle of the pitch with Besic who slowed things down and the tempo was killed along with possession in the next phase.
Moments later it was Besic again causing frustration as he dawdled on the ball before eventually playing in Downing to cross after the momentum had gone and Villa had time to reorganise their defenders. His next touch was to give the ball away cheaply setting up a Villa attack which was cleared out by Clayton to Besic who again dawdled and was very fortunate to get a decision from the Ref for a free kick in his favour just two yards outside of his own box.
A 50/50 header just in the Villa half saw Fry and Bolasie sickeningly clash heads from which Bolasie walked away after some brief treatment but Fry was laid out, face down. He fortunately was able to walk off the pitch under his own steam with Paddy McNair hurriedly brought on. The resultant free kick was lifted in by Downing and was headed back across the Villa box which Downing connected with but hit aimlessly towards the flag on the NW corner.
Tavernier was surprisingly brought off to muffled boo’s along with Besic unsurprisingly, for Braithwaite and Assombalonga to enter the fray. Britt went up front with Hugill playing behind and Downing and Braithwaite filling the wide positions. Almost immediately Villa scored their second as Boro went completely AWOL from a corner leaving Downing to take on three players on his own whilst Boro had an entire team inside their own 6 yard box leaving Bolasie free to swipe the ball through the packed Red shirted box with three Villa players lining up at the far post to slide in totally unopposed.
Hearts were in mouths as McNair stood strong against Bolasie as he went down in the box but the Ref felt it was a fair challenge as a Villa penalty at that stage would have killed the game as a contest if it hadn’t already been killed off. The game had the distinct whiff of a hangover from Preston. The lack of organisation, tactics and belief was missing from Boro as they looked well beaten with 15 minutes remaining. A chance for Britt as he swivelled and turned in the Villa box was hit into the North Stand upper.
George Friend took a yellow for his side as he flew into a challenge on Abraham. Whether it was the second goal coming so quickly after the substitutions or the disruption caused by the substitutions themselves who knows but Boro looked totally bereft of ideas for the second game in a row. To rub salt into the wounds Kodjia then came on for Bolasie as Boro hoofed balls everywhere and anywhere and repeatedly lost it again. To put in a tactical calamitous performance against Preston and then expect to suddenly turn it back on against Villa was questionable on Tuesday night but the foolhardiness of it was laid bare for all to see this evening.
Braithwaite had a tame shot on seventy seven minutes which was the first his presence was felt since his arrival on the pitch. Two minutes later and Hugill had a shot that crashed off the underside of the crossbar as Boro’s best chance of the match was eventually headed over by Friend. For us to take eighty minutes before the home fans had an oooh aaaah moment defined the entire evening. Then just to cap it all off veteran Glenn Whelan had been on the pitch for mere seconds when he found the Boro defence parting easier than the Red Sea to fire in a daisy cutter which Randolph somehow managed to divert into his own net via his toe cap which arrived milliseconds before his gloves to put Villa three up.
Far too many things were wrong tonight starting no doubt with the failure to land Bolasie back in August but that debacle at Deepdale carried on and was evident from the off. The most likely, in fact the only Boro player to create something was Tavernier who was brought off only to see two players come on who done absolutely nothing at all. Had Assombalonga and Braithwaite been English, MI5 would be on the blower to TP to sign them up because to be totally anonymous on a football pitch with millions watching globally takes some effort, neither showed any heart, fight or desire.
Tavernier, Downing and Hugill came out of things with some credit or at least showed a modicum of intent and willingness. The rest were like total strangers and never ever looked like inspiring a fightback against a Villa side that simply tore them apart, teased with them and done it all by playing entertaining football. Mono paced Boro were not second best, they weren’t good enough to be classed as second best so disjointed was their collective efforts. Bringing off our liveliest player to leave a thirty four year old as our quickest and most skilful outlet was asking for it and we duly got what we deserved seconds later.
Fair play to Villa, the style, class and tactics shown by them and Dean Smith tonight was an embarrassment to the rudimentary, predictable, agricultural, archaic looking Boro. Things haven’t been convincing for a while now probably coinciding with Shotton’s injury but the cause is far more deep rooted than that. That crack covering eight game unbeaten run was papered over by too many draws against opposition that we should have been blowing out of sight. We struggled against Swansea, were fortunate against Rotherham, were ripped to shreds for half an hour against Derby and outfought by Forest. Brentford was a bit of a ground out result and three points are three points but Randolph was exposed and had to be in top form last Saturday. Any momentum from that was destroyed by the farcical tactics at Preston.
This Villa team scores goals under Smith but they also concede and have a Keeper who has a trick in him but somehow the normally dependable Randolph picked up that bug tonight (which was about the only thing he did pick up cleanly). How many dives did Orjan Nyland make? How may saves? How often did we come remotely close to troubling him apart from Hugill’s solitary effort when the game was gone?
Prior to the game I had been reading about how great the team spirit is and how the camaraderie is top notch with the players turning up for training in fancy dress. I would like to suggest that the pantomime tactics stop and next week they turn up dressed as footballers because it looked distinctly like familiarity breeding contempt or abject confusion. In fairness to TP he wanted Bolasie here and for whatever reason it didn’t come off but what was abundantly clear from tonight is that a few need to be shipped out to a donkey sanctuary to work on their pace and energy levels and that Gill, Bausor and Co. need to find some energy and speed from somewhere out there in January.