I've got to hold my hands up. I didn't think we'd have the possession yesterday and I didn't think we'd make the number of passes we did and have such a high percentage (for us) of successful passes.
I also thought we'd have made more hit and hope passes, but we didn't. It was 50 in the entire match which isn't as high as it has been. We had 26 more against West Brom, 19 more against Cardiff, 15 more against West Ham and three more when we played Everton.
And yesterday we had the better success rate, even though we played less hit and hope. How about those apples? Less hit and hope balls and more possession. Go figure! Someone should highlight this as a possible way to play in the future.
We should have won
But I did think we'd win and I think it's fair to see your team beating the side that sit bottom of the table. And this isn't me making excuses or trying to get people to look on the bright side (as most are truly fed up with that), this is me just accepting that this is what we are at the moment and well, we should be happy that we are in the top half of the table.
And you know what, we just have to accept it. For every one good performance we'll have one bad one and one like yesterday. And then, we'll have one that everyone just accepts.
It isn't nice that we can't beat the side bottom of the table, but we did have more possession yesterday and we did have more shots and we didn't play as many hit and hope balls and there was even one instance yesterday when Guzan passed the ball out and we created an opportunity from it.
And this post is really reading like I'm making excuses and trying to cover over the cracks, but this is the time when we really do have to keep the faith. I just hope it's not one of those false dawns where we seem to be doing the right things only to revert to form for the next match.
Although in my heart, I think it is. I think against Southampton on Wednesday, we'll sit back and counter. We're definitely not going to have more possession.
And this next part really is depressing; but if we could leave with a point, we'd have to be more than happy. But with Fulham next Sunday, things could get messy if we get nothing from these next two matches.
Let's just hope that we get a good result and a lucky one in the next two. Look what has happened to Newcastle after a little run. It could be us. Shit, that's it, we're just hoping for little runs in the season. Life as an Aston Villa fan.
Speculation and Albrighton
Before I go, there was a lot of talk yesterday about Benteke not really looking interested and well, it's not for me to say that he is or he isn't. It would be easy to say that he's not at 100% and still recovering from his injury, but that would be me looking for an excuse.
I do think he's off and while I wrote recently that I thought it could be January, I'm convinced if it isn't it will be the summer. I just think his head is in a different place and I think he knows he's going to the World Cup next year regardless and the football that we play frustrates him.
Maybe had Albrighton played from the start and got a few more crosses in, he'd have felt a little happier or more up for it. And on Albrighton, it was nice to see him back and playing.
I think the games he had probably helped him and he did play in one nice cross that had we had someone on the near post, could have turned into something, but I sadly don't see Albrighton playing regularly in the way the manager is setting things up at the moment, unless he plays him at right back.
And on that, I don't think it's a coincidence that yesterday we had more possession, had more chances and didn't concede, when we played a fairly strict back four. But that's just me. Now, I have to go eat some lunch, it's a big day of football.