Premier League Round 12: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

The Bad

Heurelho Gomes

Gomes has been fantastic for Watford this season.

Any argument for Watford’s player of the season involves two players: Odion ‘goal machine’ Ighalo and Gomes.

Ighalo receives most of the plaudits because he scores the goals, but Gomes has kept Watford in games this season when their offense has not been able to score.

According to whoscored.com, Gomes has the highest average match rating on the team this season with a 7.21.

What’s the problem with that, you ask?

Nothing.

The problem is that his worst game of the season, and single worst mistake of the season — perhaps his career, even — occurred in the previous game.

Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante took a seemingly harmless shot in the 52nd minute. It bounced in front of Gomes, but on this type of shot all the goalkeeper has to do is move laterally to get their body behind the shot and scoop it up.

Instead, Gomes got caught flat footed and slipped to a knee. He flailed at the ball which squirted through him and into the net in Rob Green at the 2010 FIFA World Cup style. Watford eventually lost the match 2-1.

It was an embarrassing mistake for a keeper as experienced as the 34-year old Gomes, but it should not taint the season he has had to this point.

I’ve previously documented Watford’s reliance on Ighalo to score their goals. It seems like that won’t change anytime soon, but Watford will need more if they are to maintain their form which has them in 11th place.

Gomes has been one of the players who has stepped up the most, but does his howler against Leicester City suggest a worrying trend in Gomes’ form?

Gomes’ previous four matches have seen him earn a 5.73, 7.59, 6.94 and 6.44 match rating — three of his five lowest match ratings of the season and his two worst.

From round five of the Premier League through round eight, Gomes earned a match rating of 7.5, 7.9, 7.01 and 8.42. During that stretch Watford picked up seven out of a possible 12 points.

It was a nice run of form, but since then Gomes has struggled to hit those heights consistently, as shown by the ratings from his previous four matches.

It is a worrying trend, as Watford will need their keeper to play more like he did to start the season than he has as of late. If Gomes does not pick up his play then Watford could find themselves slipping down the table and into the relegation fight sooner rather than later.

Aston Villa

You might be wondering why I have included Aston Villa in the bad section this week.

If so, you have a valid point.

They earned a scoreless draw against Manchester City, the side currently top of the Premier League table. It was a good point to earn, especially since their relegation competition are unlikely to pick up any points against Manchester City this season.

That is not why they are here, though. The reason Aston Villa is included in this is that I watched the highlight of their game on BBC Match of the Day 2 and they received praise for a small, but noticeable change to their style of play.

The pundits noticed that Aston Villa were playing the ball along the ground a lot more than they have under previous managers. This is a good thing — certainly — but does it not say everything about Aston Villa that they received praise for passing the ball short more often than they used to?

Keep in mind that they still did not see a lot of possession or create a ton of chances.

Manchester United play the ball along the ground quite a bit, but they’re dragged through the mud week after week for their style of play.

The difference between the two is expectation.

Manchester United have a tradition of excellence and winning. They are expected to score loads of goals and win trophies.

That used to be the expectation at Aston Villa, too.

Aston Villa were crowned European Champions in 1982 after a 1-0 victory against German giants Bayern Munich.

They finished sixth in the league three consecutive seasons during the previous decade, but could never take the next step. Since then they have plummeted down the table into the sad state of affairs they have become.

Aston Villa used to expect to compete at the top level. Now, it is an accomplishment to string together a few one touch passes during an attack that will eventually fizzle out.

Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh on Aston Villa, but they were a once proud club with a winning tradition. They should expect more.

Looking at their squad nowadays, and how it performs, they probably have their expectations at the correct level. Still, though, a club with the history of Aston Villa must perform better than they have been during the last few seasons.

This club has fallen so far from where it used to be that expectations are at an all-time low. New manager Remi Garde has taken the first step in the right direction by attempting to instill a more attractive style of football.

Aston Villa began the long climb back towards respectability when they decided to sack Tim Sherwood, but they have a lot of steps to traverse before they escape the danger they are presently in.

One can’t help but wonder whether one of the steps they take will see the bottom fall out from under them before they can fully climb out of the depths they have fallen to.

Just about the only thing they have to look forward to nowadays are innovative ways to mess with Fabian Delph since his heel turn and transfer to Manchester City during the summer.

"Aston Villa have blown up snakes for Delph"

Next: The Ugly