After a solid performance against United last week, it would be easy to suggest that putting the same effort in might yield a positive result. However, last week brought zero points and Manchester City are arguably a better team.
With that said, there is certainly the capability for Aston Villa to come away with something, even if it isn’t three points or even one. Paul Lambert’s conversion of the club from a non-cohesive team into one that is moving forwards is a step in the right direction. Naysayers will invariably state that points mean prizes, and that Lambert isn’t exactly attracting wins in abundance.
Should we be optimistic or pessimistic?
Of course, these people would be right statistically, but anyone who has watched the team since the start of this season will have seen a change. The introduction of Christian Benteke, seen by some as the wrong move as it involved removing record signing Darren Bent from the team, has proved fruitful and the Belgian international seems to be getting better and better as time goes on.
Which means, logically, Villa will start winning soon. It may not be against City at the Etihad, and it may not even be against Arsenal at Villa Park, but the signs are there – this Villa team is gelling.
Some could argue that Villa’s “month of death” has come at precisely the wrong time as strong fixtures may mean that the club fails to record many points from the trifecta of Manchesters United and City as well as Arsenal. Contrary to that notion, I actually feel a challenge is exactly what Villa needed.
It might sound illogical or even crazy, but sometimes the emergence of a group’s true mettle appears under pressure, and you don’t get much more pressure than playing three of last year’s top four – OK pedants, you could play all four but you get what I mean.
What Villa have needed is some evidence that they can do it against the big boys to prove some of the naysayers wrong. By pulling a performance out against the very top teams, it shows to the fans who have got concerned over the years that the team is capable, and that continued performances against teams will yield results.
Villa needed a challenge – now is the time to answer it
Had the club been playing lowly opposition at this time, fans could have argued that good performances against lesser teams are the bare minimum of what is expected from the team, and that even winning against those same lesser teams may have done little to buoy the fans’ belief.
Whereas fighting hard against a great team illustrated something inspirational even if, galling as it was, the team actually lost in the end.
Against City, Villa are likely to receive a sterner test than their last trip to the Etihad which took the Citizens out of the league cup at the expense of our club from Birmingham. However, Mancini statements aside about the Capital One cup not being their focus, City will take this game seriously too with few excuses being acceptable for last year’s champions should they fail to roll through us.
In some mentalities, primarily those of a defensive minded manager, the temptation would be to batten down the hatches and try to weather the onslaught figuring that a 0-0 yields one more point than getting smashed around by a team brimming with striking talent.
The way forward is with attacking prowess
However, our current man in charge is not defensively minded as our last game showed, so don’t expect that kind of attitude or ethic – these are not Alex McLeish led games. Villa will go there with an effort to smash and grab something, whilst playing football in the process, in the style of what many fans have been asking for over the past few years.
Will it work? It is far too early to tell, though I imagine we will get a fair idea of what is or isn’t going to happen come half time as the halfway point has become Villa’s barometer of sense given their fairly solid first half performances. With that said, Villa were leading 1-0 last week only to collapse and lose 3-2 against United so maybe it may not be the best indicator.
For me, the importance of this game is the performance. If we play well, and continue to press and work hard, we will come away with something. Whether it is three points, a point, or merely our dignity, we will find out soon enough but, for now, it is time for Lambert’s lions to enter the battlefield again, hopefully cheered on by our amazing away support.
Villa players, it’s over to you.
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