Bradley made the bench for the first time in a while, but so did competitors Bannan and Delph. They took Makoun, Albrighton and Heskey's spots in the 18.(not sure what's up with those guys) Edit: Correction, Albrighton made the bench instead of Bannan.
I think Bannan was a late scratch from the 18. Surprised to see no strikers on the bench, I suppose that bodes well for Bradley's chances of getting some playing time. In my opinion, this is Villas strongest lineup (actually would probably play Cuellar over either Dunne or Collins) so it would be great to see Bradley given 20 or 30 minutes with this team. Delph is the only other CM on the bench (and he's played more at LB as of late anyways) and Stan always seems to tire after about 65 minutes (though he does appear to be fitter since his return to the starting 11.)
VILLA: Friedel; Walker, Dunne, Collins, L Young; Downing, Petrov, Reo-Coker, A Young; Agbonlahor, Bent. Subs: Marshall, Pires, Clark, Bradley, Albrighton, Delph, Cuellar.
You probably already know, but Heskey left out with a slight knee problem despite training yesterday and Makoun has a dead leg #avfc From Matt Kendrick's twitter
Surprising tweets from Jen Chang this morning: First: JenChang88 Jen Chang Michael Bradley not in the starting lineup for Villa again, but Villa apparently interested in signing him on a permanent deal. and then: JenChang88 Jen Chang Gary McCallister: "Michael has done enough on the training ground to suggest there might be something come the end of the season" 36 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply »
Yeah there was an article on Thursday that surprised Villatalk because it said they were negotiating a contract with Bradley. With more quotes from McAllister. http://www.sportinglife.com/footbal...4/28/manual_075854.html&TEAMHD=soccer&BID=165 Comical own goal, by the way. Maybe even Agoos-ian?
West Brom with a lot of possession and Villa are trying to hit them on the counter. Free kick to West Brom...scramble in front of goal and the ball deflects to Odemwingie who taps it in to make it 1-1. Red card to Scharner for a 2nd yellow on a tackle from behind on Petrov.
Taking off Reo-Coker for Pires was a mistake. That gave them the slowest midfield combo ever and left the defense exposed on the counter.
I was just about to say the same thing. I was shocked when they subbed him off. Pires for Petrov, sure.
Agreed. Normally I like to blame Houllier for managerial incompetence, but isn't he in the hospital or something? Anyway, losing to a 10-man rival has got to sting. Is it maybe time for AV to re-think their midfield a little bit?
I thought Reo-Coker and Petrov were doing fine. They weren't creating much but they play through the wingers. Ashley Young has been poor and was again today, they should have brought Albrighton on for him and kept the rest of the team the same.
To echo our sentiments, a tweet from the Times reporter that covers WBA: I still think Villa are safe with 41 points, but they're leaving it too close for comfort. They might not need another point, but it would be good to beat one of the teams chasing them,Wigan, next week, because they finish with Arsenal and Liverpool.