I’ll freely admit that last week I copped out and didn’t have much to say about the coming match against Liverpool. Honestly, I didn’t have any feel for how the match would go. I wasn’t totally surprised by how the match went last week, but wasn’t sure they could produce such a performance after the big win against Norwich in the cup.
After last week there is not a game we have left this season that I don’t think we can win. That doesn’t mean Villa would be favorites at Old Trafford, but I wouldn’t go into the match bereft of any hope the team could win. This match at home, against Chelsea on Sunday is no exception. If their back line isn’t having cold sweats at the thought of dealing with Christian Benteke, then it’s clear that they aren’t watching.
Whenever Villa is in the attacking third I find myself watching Benteke as much as I am the ball. On the first goal I was waiting for him to float into the box to receive a cross. When he got the ball 20 yards from goal I was hoping he could combine with somebody, and was absolutely stunned when his low shot found the net. On the second goal, as Weiman’s thru ball floated away from goal I thought the chance had been wasted and hoped he could hold the ball until Villa could get men forward. He couldn’t have rolled that back heel with his hands any better than he delivered that back heel. These were the goals from open play we have been waiting for all season.
The praise leveled on Benteke and the club has been a bit surreal this week. Liverpool may well be fallen giants of sorts, but the emphatic win at Anfield made the football world take serous notice of Villa for the first time in years. Michael Cox of Zonal Marking in particular, wrote an excellent piece on ESPNFC about the Lambert Revolution that hit on many of the points that have been raised on this site previously. This piece on the club’s official site rang true to me and didn’t feel like spin or BS, it made me even more excited about the club’s long tern prospects.
If the club’s on field exploits weren’t enough, the League Cup draw could not have been more kind. With all due respect to Bradford, there is no way they should beat Villa over two legs. Wembley is so close the supporters can taste it. If we’re not worried about staying up, the league feels like a long prelude.
This weekend I really fancy our chances against an up and down Chelsea side. Our team will have had seven days of rest, while Chelsea had to play on Wednesday almost immediately after coming back from Japan. Even a point would continue the club’s unbeaten run and the good feelings that brings. The only only thing I would ask for is for some of our injured and ill players to be available over the busy holiday period
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