Before Aston Villa hosted Crystal Palace, Paul Lambert made it clear that his side needed to step up and stop their run of three straight defeats. The Villa manager said, โWe have to win โ it will be a cracking crowd there, Boxing Day and we have to go and win.โ
But the hosts were beaten by a stoppage time goal by Dwight Gayle, a goal that lifted Palace up out of the relegation zone. A goal that also put Villa within three points of the drop, after four consecutive losses. It was a classic counter attack that brought down the hosts โ one that Villa themselves had put on display to beat Manchester City earlier this season.
In this match, however, it was all about possession, and that tactic didnโt pay off. The Villaย were unable to do much with the ball, often resorting to hoofed balls, with shots going high or wide more often than not. It was not enough, and the home side was booed off the pitch at the final whistle.More distressing, for fans of the club at least, is the fact that Lambertโs side seem totally out of ideas.
Christian Benteke, after going ten games without a goal, is now out with injury.ย Andi Weimann is showing barely a spark of the form that allowed him to light up the pitch last season. And the forwards Lambert brought in ย as cover โย Libor Kozรกk, Aleksandar Tonev and Jordan Bowery โ arenโt cutting it. More strangely, Lambert is keeping bright youngster Nicklas Helenius on the bench.
But, when speaking after the loss, Lambert couldnโt pin down an exact reason for his sideโs failure to win. When asked about their dismal home record, with just two wins in nine matches, the Villa manager simply said,โIt isnโt good enough. The lack of goals is contributing to the not winning games. You have to turn it around.ย Thereโs no magic formula.โ
Yet his opponent today seemed to have found such a formula. When asked about his sideโs victory, Tony Pulis saidย โWeโve worked very, very hard on the shape of the team, on making sure that people are in certain positions at certain times and that everybody knows what theyโre supposed to do.โ
It seems simple enough. And thatโs just how Palace looked: compact, organized, disciplined โ and willing to punish if they found an opportunity to exploit a weakness. Crystal Palace have won four of their six matches since Pulis was appointed. The formula may not be magic, but itโs certainly effective.
When wrapping up his time with the press, Lambert said, โI have looked at the table. Itโs as tight as anything for midway through to right down.โ Perhaps, then, what his side needs most is the same sort of approach that Pulis has taken with Palace to lift them out of the drop zone. Because Villa are, in fact, fighting a relegation battle.
