Aston Villa Star Players vs Arsenal
3rd place – Alan Hutton (1pt):
One might think that Hutton’s new contract deal and almost biblical second coming could have caused him to slack off, but another steady display from the Scot meant that he has made my top three.
2nd place – Jack Grealish (3pts):
Featuring again this week is the 19-year-old Grealish. He came on for Weimann just after half-time and proved once more that he is one for the future. His energy during a lethargic team performance was refreshing and caused Calum Chambers some real problems.
1st place – Tom Cleverley (5pts):
I’m awarding my five points to new loan signing, Tom Cleverley. I thought he played well against Liverpool but I thought he was the stand out player of the match against Arsenal. His passing was varied and interesting, his corners were significantly better than Westwood’s and his crossing was frequently very good (one of his crosses helped create a chance for Ciaran Clark which really should have gone in).
The Villa Man Who Needs to ‘Pick Themselves Up and Go Again’
Carlos Sanchez
For this section, it would be easy for me to choose the entire Villa team – not to pick themselves up but instead to put themselves down – in bed, with a Lemsip. However, I’m going to keep it traditional and go for a player who didn’t perform well.
Thanks to the striking down of Westwood, the game against Arsenal was a chance for ‘The Rock’ to step up to plate and perhaps show why Villa paid the money they did for him. It seemed to me that the pressure-cooker atmosphere of Villa Park and making his first proper start for us in the league got to him. Frequently his passes went astray and didn’t seem to have the tactical mind that Westwood seems to have. So, sorry Carlos, you’ve made the list.
Aston Villa Star Players vs Liverpool
Since we missed the Liverpool Ratings last week, here are the Aston Villa Star Players vs Liverpool that will be added to our running tally of points.
I was in the front row at Anfield. It was a fantastic experience. The game was incredible (although unenjoyable as I spent the majority of the time counting down the clock), the atmosphere in our end was electric and silencing Anfield was a big plus in my books.
The ratings for the Liverpool game are as follows:
3rd – Gabby Agbonlahor (1pt) – an important goal, made intelligent runs and frightened the Liverpool defence.
2nd – Phillipe Senderos (3pts) – given new life at Villa, defensively on point and his partnership with Baker was impenetrable.
1st – Nathan Baker (5pts) – was doubted by all, motivated, played for the badge and was defensively perfect.
Follow Matthew on Twitter – @MatthewKn1ght
(Ashley Bannister is currently on holiday)
