Can Martin O’Neil hold this team together long enough again?
Last Season
After a terrific first-half start to last season’s campaign, Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neil watched his club fold during the second half of the season. While a 6th place finish looks decent on paper, most fans saw it as a consolation prize after Villa was in Champions League contention through the first half of the season. Aston Villa will now complete in the inaugural run of the Europa League during the 2009-2010 campaign.
This Season
Randy Lerner, Aston Villa’s American owner, called for “more modest” spending at the end of last season. Apparently what he meant by that was see a former captain retire and sell-off your skipper to a rival team that very well may usurp you this year. The 2009-2010 season is sure to be a tough one for the Villans, but Martin O’Neil believes the club can repeat some of last season’s success.
Continued success starts with Martin O’Neil, who is among the Premier League’s top managers. The Irishman is a wonderful coach and is the bedrock of the squad, but he is not a miracle worker. In order for Aston Villa to succeed in this season’s campaign, the club will have to shell out some big money and bring in a bit of new talent and an increase in depth.
They have already begun to do this with the acquisition of Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough and Fabian Delph from Leeds United. But, the squad still lacks the depth to effectively contend with serious fitness issues.
Martin O’Neil will feel shivers down his spine if any of his players go down with an injury this season; the Irish manager currently holds the unenviable title of carrying the Premier League’s smallest squad. Aston Villa’s are already dealing with fitness struggles in this year’s pre-season: Stiliyan Petrov is expected to miss the first games of the season due to a dislocated shoulder and Curtis Davies is also sidelined with a dislocated shoulder.
Injuries are only one of Aston Villa’s problems, as the club must also contend with the loss of former skipper Martin Laursen and captain Gareth Barry. Laursen retired due to a rash on injuries and Gareth Barry felt that his Champions League ambition would be better realized with Manchester City.
O’Neil now must figure out a way to replace experience and leadership on a squad filled with young players rife with potential, but a bit short on experience. The departure of Barry takes away one of Villa’s strongest midfielders and forces the team to place football up the wings. Wing play will be possible as long as Ashley Young stays fit and is able to continue with his quality service to the forwards.
The one area where Aston Villa are strong is up front. O’Neil is expected to play two front men from Gabriel Agbonlahor, John Carew, and Emile Heskey. Regardless of who plays up front, the forwards must step up and not struggle like they did during the second half of last season’s campaign.
Improving on last year’s finish of 6th place will be extremely difficult, if not impossible. Martin O’Neil has a thin squad, without a true captain, and is tasked with trying to make it all work. To make matters worse, Aston Villa must contend with the oil-rich spending of Manchester City and a strengthened Everton squad.
At least Villa have two veteran goalkeepers to rely on. Brad Friedel looked good last season and Brad Guzan has a strong showing in pre-season matches. So there may be a little hope after all.
Transfers In:
Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough, £12m)
Fabian Delph (Leeds United, £8.5m)
Transfers Out:
Gareth Barry (Manchester City, £12)
Stuart Taylor (Manchester City, Free)
Zat Knight (Bolton Wanderers, £5)
Martin Laursen (Retired)
Injuries:
Stiliyan Petrov (Shoulder)
Curtis Davis (Shoulder)
Luke Young (Thigh)
Who to Watch For:
Emile Heskey, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Luke Young
First Five League Games and Predicted Results:
Wigan (Home, draw)
West Ham United (Away, draw)
Liverpool (Away, lose)
Fulham (Home, win)
Birmingham (Away, win)
Predicted Finish:
7th
Jordan Wise is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and the Houston Dynamo. You can also follow Jordan Wise’s other thoughts on the beautiful game on Twitter @FCShambles.
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