Club Focus - Aston Villa - O’Neill content despite lack of goal scoring form
Whilst Aston Villa awaited confirmation of their Carling Cup final opponents, they hosted an in-form Arsenal side that had previously beat them 3-0 at the end of last month.
The final score line fails to reflect the exciting nature of that which saw the Gunners hit the woodwork twice and the Villans fail to convert routine chances. While it is a great result for the Birmingham side, it did not hide the fact that they have not won or scored in their last four successive league games, a problem which may drastically effect their Champions League aspirations if it is to continue.
Perhaps Arsenal’s possession football has become predictable now, but nevertheless, Martin O’Neill adjusted his tactics accordingly, never allowing Arsenal much time on the ball. After the match, Arsène Wenger expressed his controversial view of the Villa performance, :“it was a very difficult game because they stopped us from playing when we had the ball and when they had the ball they played a very long-ball game and closed us down.”
O’Neill responded to this criticism furiously, clearly disagreeing with the thought that his side did not play passing football,: “If that's what he saw tonight, that is a ridiculous statement… He's made a few ridiculous statements in his time here and that's probably as good as any. That's only an annoyance at the end of it all. Anybody who saw the game wouldn't take that viewpoint. Ashley Young didn't have time to play long balls when he was taking that left-back [Gaël Clichy] to the cleaners. It's an ¬appalling insult." The Northern Irishman is right to defend his side’s performance as they closed down the Arsenal players tirelessly, yet still managed to create chances in the Arsenal penalty area, particularly with crosses from the by-line.
If there is anything Villa can be criticised for, it is their continued impotency in front of goal. Stewart Downing probably had the best two chances of the game. The first opportunity came when Ashley Young found Downing at the far post with a pinpoint cross, but Downing, undecided whether or not to volley it first time or control it, he opted for the volley which went safely over Manuel Almunia’s crossbar. The second chance came in the second half when another excellent Young cross from the right-hand side reached the head of Downing, but his header was poorly executed and he powered just wide. Agbonlahor’s pace was particularly worrying for William Gallas and just after four minutes, he sought after Emile Heskey’s clever return pass and smashed an angled shot that was fantastically turned around the post by Almunia.
O’Neill was quick to take the positives out of the game: “we haven't won or scored in four matches but we've had umpteen chances and I'm not concerned. Not just our effort but our play was terrific.” However, Villa will have to bring their excellent goal scoring record in cup competitions into the Premier League to have any chance of competing with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. Nevertheless, the Villans managed to contain a team very much in form at the moment and for that they can be proud of their performance.
Moving away from Wednesday night, the Villans have been hit with a few significant injuries to certain players. Stephen Warnock, who has been excellent for Villa this season, is out with a shin injury which has prompted O’Neill to recall Nicky Shorey from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest. Nigel Reo-Coker also adds to Villa’s injury list as he faces up to three months out with a stress fracture in his ankle.
Perhaps the momentum from Villa’s cup success has passed, but before that long awaited Carling Cup final on the 28th February, Villa will have to concentrate on the league again and more importantly on scoring goals.
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