The weekend and Juventus tonight

The weekend was tough and the general feeling around Aston Villa at the moment isn't like it was and we are very much up to our necks in football.

And tonight is match two of sixteen before the end of January and a match every four days, but it's not a surprise. We knew when we finished last season that we'd have periods like this and that's why we bought the players we bought. We needed numbers.

And the numbers are going to be important tonight. But it's more than just having the players and playing a certain way. There needs to be an intensity that seems to have been lacking of late.

And not having it at periods during the season is okay. No side can keep it up throughout the season, but there does come a time when it has to stop. And that's easy to write but in practise there are other considerations and more things happening. But after tonight, it's Chelsea at the weekend.

Everything is big at the moment and there is no hiding. Unai has to use some of his magic and get these players playing like we know he can and there is some nice news ahead of the game later.

And that's that Boubacar Kamara is back. I know it's not all about one player, but last season he was special and it was the little things. It was that he always seemed to be there and was an option. It was that he always seemed to deliver and yes, I know early on in the season there were also a couple of moments that don't align with my narrative.

I just think we've missed him. We have also missed Douglas Luiz, but he left us for Juventus and reports suggest he wont be playing for them tonight and other reports suggest he might be regretting the move. It's not always greener, but it was a move for everyone.

Tonight is going to be tough, just like last weekend and next week. This needs to be taken in our stride, but it is tonight and it is important. We need to find a rhythm and we're not in it at the moment, so it would be nice to find it again quickly.