There’s an old law in England that states that killing a swan is against the law. I obviously don’t recommend trying to break that as swans are beautiful creatures but Aston Villa will be doing their best to take down their footballing namesakes, Swansea City, in the second home league game of the season.
Swansea have started fairly brightly under Michael Laudrup with seven points from their first three matches. The Swans’ starting flourish, including an amazing ten goals scored, leaves them in second place in the league behind early leaders Chelsea.
Villa, by comparison, loiter far closer to the bottom of the table. With the draw at Newcastle United providing Villa’s solitary point earned to date, Saturday’s match against the Premier League’s only Welsh team will be far from a walkover.
Fans may well be suggesting that nothing less than a win is acceptable, and there will be no doubt that Paul Lambert’s men will do their utmost to provide a positive result, but it won’t be an easy task. Michu, a signing many English fans may not have known of before his arrival in the United Kingdom, will be a real threat, and it will be up to Ron Vlaar and his defensive partner (whoever that may be) to stop him.
For me personally, it will be the same old story of getting down to the ground an hour earlier than kick-off (largely because the old man drives and he likes to get a good place at the Aston Arena), trying to find Bovril (as I have had to get by on bottles of Coke in the meantime), and then scooting out quickly after the game because it’s not me driving.
Hopefully we will get chance to see more of our recent acquisitions, though I imagine a few of them may play the part of substitutes rather than starting. Christian Benteke in particular seems like a solid addition, and I will be interested to see how a footballer who is the size that he is deals with Premier League quality defenders.
Up front, it now feels a little different. Just a short while ago, Villa were severely limited by striking options with Gabriel Agbonlahor injured, and Benteke not even in the squad. Who will partner Darren Bent, assuming that Villa go with two strikers, will be anyone’s guess. Maybe it will be Benteke, leaving Agbonlahor to make an impact later with his pace. Or it might be the other way round with the size of Benteke likely to challenge tired defenders after the hour mark.
Either way, optimism is back and that’s something that should never be underestimated. When I compare the general feeling amongst fans to how we were a year ago, it’s like a different era – one that offers the hope of a win and good football, and not of tense moments waiting for the team to lose possession.
As I wrote in my piece for the Express & Star on Friday, patience will be needed because Swansea shouldn’t be underestimated. They may well be a smaller club in stature, but taking this result for granted is far from advised. A slow, methodical passing game should win the day, ideally whilst using the pace and power of our players, but if things aren’t going well immediately, do the following – breathe deep, relax, and resist the urge to show your disapproval.
I say that because the last thing we need now is further damage to the team’s precarious confidence. The result against Newcastle was a step in the right direction but progress, as is often the case, will take time and patience.
If fans can keep their nerve, the game should be there for the taking. The only thing is it may take a little time to get going.
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