Match Thread Aston Villa 0-1 Everton. Sunday 18th January 2026 @ 16:30

[smileychap]

Johan Cruyff thought he was best on the wing...

It's interesting how formations have changed over the years. When I grew up watching our 80s side, it was always two strikers - a partnership up front. We had Heath and Sharp, Gray and Sharp, and Lineker and Sharp. Cottee and McAvennie was the feared Hammers variant. Rush and Dalglish, of course, was legendary. Archibald and Crooks, Withe and Shaw, Mariner and Brazil...

I almost feel like I sleptwalked through the last 40 years. One up front would have been considered massively defensive in the days of peak Serie A when the greatest strikers in the world struggled to score. Indeed, there was a reason Maradona and Platini dominated the scoring charts in Italy rather than Rummenigge or Elkjaer. The front-man was marked to within an inch of his life. You needed to go further out the pitch to see any freedom. In England, this would have been considered cowardy defensive nonsense. Nowadays, few strikers in England score many goals. Most of the summer signings have flopped...for everyone.

I'm actually not convinced that one up-front is here to stay. I think, like long throws, two-men strike forces will slowly return...and be heralded as innovative tactical masterstrokes when they do...

Nice. Hope you're right, too.

This isn't just click bait, I would like to see us try B&B upfront together.

KDH, Jack, Dibling, Ndiaye, Garner and McNeil can all ping a ball in.

 

[MACCA75]

Nice. Hope you're right, too.

This isn't just click bait, I would like to see us try B&B upfront together.

KDH, Jack, Dibling, Ndiaye, Garner and McNeil can all ping a ball in.

They have been on the pitch together and looked absolutely dreadful.

 

[smileychap]

They have been on the pitch together and looked absolutely dreadful.

But was it honestly worse than watching one of them?

 

[MACCA75]

But was it honestly worse than watching one of them?

Literally twice as bad.

 

[cronullasharks]

Geez our recent record against these is horrendous

 

[Drico]

Nice. Hope you're right, too.

This isn't just click bait, I would like to see us try B&B upfront together.

KDH, Jack, Dibling, Ndiaye, Garner and McNeil can all ping a ball in.

Imagine. 4-4-f******-2.

Tactical genius.

"Yes, Giulia. I am going to play BOTH Barry and Beto upfront, together, to prove that they are, indeed, two separate people."

 

[Blue Neon]

Nice. Hope you're right, too.

This isn't just click bait, I would like to see us try B&B upfront together.

KDH, Jack, Dibling, Ndiaye, Garner and McNeil can all ping a ball in.

Would be like playing with 9 men? I'd give them B&B, tell them to leave and not to come back! Jeez!

 

[ganistuk]

Johan Cruyff thought he was best on the wing...

It's interesting how formations have changed over the years. When I grew up watching our 80s side, it was always two strikers - a partnership up front. We had Heath and Sharp, Gray and Sharp, and Lineker and Sharp. Cottee and McAvennie was the feared Hammers variant. Rush and Dalglish, of course, was legendary. Archibald and Crooks, Withe and Shaw, Mariner and Brazil...

I almost feel like I sleptwalked through the last 40 years. One up front would have been considered massively defensive in the days of peak Serie A when the greatest strikers in the world struggled to score. Indeed, there was a reason Maradona and Platini dominated the scoring charts in Italy rather than Rummenigge or Elkjaer. The front-man was marked to within an inch of his life. You needed to go further out the pitch to see any freedom. In England, this would have been considered cowardy defensive nonsense. Nowadays, few strikers in England score many goals. Most of the summer signings have flopped...for everyone.

I'm actually not convinced that one up-front is here to stay. I think, like long throws, two-men strike forces will slowly return...and be heralded as innovative tactical masterstrokes when they do...

It would be fun with the right players for us to be the trendsetters again. Most of those combinations though were a Target Man with a Poacher or someone who dropped off playing alongside them. Barry and Beto are too similar to be a partnership. Barry has the aerial ability to be that target man, finding the 20 goal a season poacher to play with him is the challenge!! Maybe if Braiden Graham continues to develop he could play that role.

 

[Drico]

It would be fun with the right players for us to be the trendsetters again. Most of those combinations though were a Target Man with a Poacher or someone who dropped off playing alongside them. Barry and Beto are too similar to be a partnership. Barry has the aerial ability to be that target man, finding the 20 goal a season poacher to play with him is the challenge!! Maybe if Braiden Graham continues to develop he could play that role.

Let's face it, Barry and Beto aren't up to playing in any formation. That's the next thing we have to fix - along with the full back situation.

 

[PhilRegan]

Pick
Garner tark obrien keg azza

Dibs arms tims greygrey


Bazza

Nothing to lose except the game . The current setup gets demolished

 

[Swartzy]

Villa have only lost 2 league home games in 2 years and have the best league home win percentage across Europes 5 leagues. So I don't think it unreasonable for us to be confident for this game particularly as Everton won't be at full strength.
Disappointed to see so many don't like Villa comments, always liked Everton myself not quite sure what we ever done to make a lot of you feel like this

No issues with Villa ( until Sunday obviously )

But I do think you have just tempted fate with the opening of your post..

Tim will now open his account, after failing to make a decision in the final 3rd, he will just "Forrest Gump" it, running straight through your goal, up the stands and not to be seen again until finally being returned the following week by the RNLI..

0-1

Good luck for rest of the season though..

 

[Rooney_Tunes]

Nice. Hope you're right, too.

This isn't just click bait, I would like to see us try B&B upfront together.

KDH, Jack, Dibling, Ndiaye, Garner and McNeil can all ping a ball in.

I would prefer neither upfront..

Remember when we played Timmy Cahill up top...let's do that again.

If we are not buying anybody in this window, then we go Branthwaite and JOB as our CB's and Keggers up top. Or Illy or KDH?

Can it be worse than what we are currently doing?

 

[Huyton Layne]

Not looking forward to this at all. They're having a great season and have weapons we'll have trouble stopping.
I guess we keep it tight and hope something miraculous happens up front.

 

[Miked1e]

Nice. Hope you're right, too.

This isn't just click bait, I would like to see us try B&B upfront together.

KDH, Jack, Dibling, Ndiaye, Garner and McNeil can all ping a ball in.

agree with everything except for the McNeil can do anything bit....

Sorry, but 1 up front clearly does not work. Unsure why people are against playing the 2 up front together... Maybe not in this game as we are going to be camped in our 18 yard box for 90 mins, but certainly games at home.

 

[RomanReigns]

Fun fact last time we beat villa in the league was almost 10 years ago on 1st March 2016

We won 3-1 with funes mori, lennon and lukaku scoring for us and rudy gestede scoring for villa