Hands up who’s getting worried?

After another defeat, another team targeting our hapless left back (until he’s taken out of the line of fire with an ‘injury’) and another late goal, the autumn chill is starting to bite.

Villa can reflect on a job well done.

Mick McCarthy can reflect on a shocking refereeing decision not send off the already booked Warnock, who then goes on to set-up the winner.

Meanwhile, most Wolves fans might reflect on another baffling team selection where World Cup player Guedioura again lost out to Championship bit part Edwards and Ward kept his place despite being so horribly out of his depth.

Gerard Houllier isn’t so well respected for nothing I guess. After being back in England for all of five minutes, he still spotted the Eircom striker masquerading as a defender beforehand and told Albrighton to attack him at every opportunity.

I lost count of the raids on Ward before the inevitable goal came. Maybe Mick didn’t, because a familiar ‘injury’ reared its head and the Irishman was back in the changing room. (Sheffield United anyone?)

In full credit to Big George, Albrighton was subbed off in the second half and never got a look in from the moment he came on, poor distribution aside.

That we completely ignored the possibility of purchasing Nicky Shorey from the Villa will continue to haunt me until the position is finally sorted.

Four years after the much maligned Lee Naylor left, it was ironic to see him back on the pitch at half time, as his departure still hasn’t been addressed with the seriousness it warranted.

The first half was forgettable as we launched too many long balls to Fletcher and Doyle, the latter looking as ineffective as I’ve seen in a Wolves shirt, and we went in a goal down.

Apart from a great double save from Freidel from the strike pair and a glaring chance for Edwards that was either missed or tackled, we offered little threat and none of the encouraging form of late last season.

The second half was a different story however, and with Jarvis coming more into the game in a change of shape (with Fletcher going wider too) we asserted some pressure.

When the goal came from Jarvis it was fully deserved. After the goal we didn’t have nearly enough quality to break Villa down.

The pivotal moment came when Mick made his final change.

Managers live and die by their decisions and maybe ours will regret subbing Foley for Stearman, who was swamped for Villa’s winner when Warnock romped towards the South Bank and crossed for Heskey to score.

To blame Stears would be unfair though. We did our usual trick of opting for the wrong choice around their box and it was Doyle who scuffed an ambitious shot from 25 yards with others far better placed.

Would SEB have been a better choice from the bench in a bolder attempt to win the game?

Guedioura certainly shouldn’t have been there in the first place, so to see Sidwell’s sickening challenge on him in after coming on makes me so angry on so many levels.

At least Mick won’t have to make excuses for not picking him now, as we contemplate a loss which already looks to be lengthy.

Make no mistake, this Villa team was there for the taking and was infinitely worse than its 2009 version, with no Dunne, Milner, Agbonlahor or Carew in the starting line-up.

The biggest worry is that we’re looking worse too – with or without a £20 million spending spree.

Wolves kick-off their local derby assault this weekend as Aston Villa make the short trip to Molineux looking to give Gerard Houllier the ideal welcome on his return to the Premiership.

Since Martin O’Neill packed his bags and left just days before the start of the season, it’s safe to say it’s been an up-and-down start for our neighbours. Solid wins against West Ham and Everton are juxtaposed with a 6-goal thumping at Newcastle and a disappointing exit in the Europa League.

A last-gasp defeat to Stoke and a home-draw with Bolton make up the remainder of Villa’s results to date, leaving them with respectable seven point haul. But having failed to emerge victorious in either of those last two winnable fixtures, they’ll be keen to build some momentum with three points on Sunday.

For Wolves, back-to-back Premier League defeats have dented what was an impressive start to the season, but Mick McCarthy and co can take solace from the fact they took the lead in both matches and but for some silly late mistakes, would have added vital points to their tally.

We can also look back fondly on last season’s meetings with Villa, both of which ended in draws. We stood toe-to-toe with them home and away and arguably deserved to win at least one of those games having successfully bridged the considerable gap between the sides in the league table.

It’s getting a little bit trickier to guess the Wolves side and arguably a few more players might have put themselves into contention following the 4-2 midweek victory over Notts County in the League Cup. This is my guess at the starting XI:

Hahnemann

Foley
Berra
Craddock
Ward

Jarvis
Henry
Jones
van Damme

Doyle
Fletcher

I hope Jarvis and van Damme can shake off their respective injuries, as they give us two very different options down the flanks. At the back, I fully expect Berra to return to the side having missed the game at Spurs through suspension. Fletcher and Doyle will surely get the nod up front, having both found the net in midweek and demonstrated their considerable quality.

Prediction League

A few people successfully predicted the outcome from last weekend’s defeat at Spurs, so well done to Stourbridge Wolf (his first points of the season), Hallam, Jon Sidwell and last but by no means least, er, me.

That vital three point salvo elevates me to the summit of the overall table.

As always, if you want to join in with the Prediction League, simply leave your prediction for each game in the comment section of the official preview (such as this one).

This week, I’m backing Wolves to get the win. We’ve looked solid enough on home-turf so far and if we can keep things tight at the back, I’m positive we’ll create chances against Villa.

2-1 Wolves.

If you’re going to the game, have a great time and get right behind the lads. There’s bragging rights at stake here.

Up The Wolves.

It says much about the progress of this defiant Wolves side that we came away from Villa Park feeling disappointed we didn’t take all three points.

Had it not been for a moment of slack defending, allowing a long punt down field to cause mayhem inside our penalty area, we probably would have secured a famous victory. After all, we’d dealt with pretty much everything else Villa threw at us, with Marcus Hahnemann never really having to exert himself.

Still, a very useful point and in light of Burnley and Hull both falling to painful, last-gasp defeats, a good weekend all round. Those two sides both appear to be crumbling on and off the pitch where as Wolves just have the look of a side that are coming good at the most crucial point in the season.

Long may that continue.

Yesterday, every player contributed to a strong team performance, with David Jones perhaps most impressive. His close control and ability to pick out a killer pass in the final third is giving us a vital dimension to our attacking play and the former Derby midfielder is thriving more than anyone in this 4-5-1 system.

Kevin Doyle was right up there again too. Villa had only conceded ten goals at home prior to this match, but were ran ragged by Wolves record signing. He played a vital role in the build-up to both our goals, then gave us much needed respite when our backs were firmly planted against the wall in the second half.

What about Jody Craddock too? Yet another goal to go with another solid performance. Both he and Berra stood up strong to the physical bombardment from Heskey and Carew, which was admirable given the number of crosses angled into dangerous areas. Unfortunately, Berra does have the knack of losing his man, which contributed to at least one of John Carew’s goals yesterday. I can’t help but wonder whether we’d be better served with Mancienne in there.

I doubt whether Mick will change it. He’s probably right not to.

In fact, I hope this starting eleven is preserved at all costs for the next eight games, as we attempt to navigate ourselves to safety. There’s a cohesion to the side at the moment, which we haven’t seen since the glorious opening games of last season, so rocking the boat now would probably be a costly mistake.

It’s quickly onto West Ham now, where avoiding defeat would surely be a wonderful achievement. That being said, I feel we’re in strong enough shape to win at Upton Park and not consider it a giant-killing. We are after all, above them in the table.

What the Papers Say

For Wolves, that there will be a tinge of disappointment that they did not take three points is a compliment to the way they went about their business.

The Telegraph

Having been comprehensively outplayed as Villa made a flying start, Mick McCarthy’s team were well worth their point in the end.

The Independent

APPEARANCES can be deceptive. A glance at this morning’s Premier League table will show Aston Villa still very much in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League but on the evidence of the full 90 minutes rather than just a sprightly start, they look no more a top four team than Wolverhampton Wanderers appear in danger of relegation.

The Times