Last week I reviewed the goalkeepers and defenders. Let’s pick up where we left off looking at the midfielders and strikers.
Midfielders
Stephen Ireland: The 2011-12 Player of the Year looks finally set to leave the club this summer. In a way it is hard to believe that Ireland has been at the club for three years and only has one year left on his deal. Ireland was frozen out after Villa failed to advance past Bradford in the League Cup semi-final. Ireland has always struck me as a front-running type of player. When things are going well Ireland will have an impact on the game, and when they are not he is invisible. That’s antithetical to what Paul Lambert looks for and wants in a footballer. It is no surprise he is on his way out.
During his three years with the club it has also appeared at times that Ireland suffered by being on an entirely higher football wavelength than his teammates. When Ireland was at his best with Manchester City he was playing with Robinho and Elano. When he got to the club it is clear he was the entirely wrong kind of player to insert into a team that had been playing archaic, Martin O’Neil football. It is doubtful that Ireland will ever get the chance to play with the kind of players that can match his creativity as far removed as he is from his one great season. His bizarre falling out with the Republic of Ireland has also harmed his career. Were it not for his grandmother’s untimely demise, he could at least be getting games for his country and put himself in the shop window.
Karim El-Ahmadi: The Governor as he was billed as upon his arrival, was supposed to be the creative engine for the Villa attack. He was supposed to be the quarterback of the Aston Villa offense, sitting deep and picking passes. Unfortunately the speed of the Premier League was too much for El-Ahmedi to cope with. He looked like a quarterback throwing the football carelessly because the opposing defense was closing in on him. Perhaps in his second year he will adjust to the pace of the Premier League, but if he is back next year there will be more competition for his place not less.
Charles N’Zogbia: The Zog was injured for the majority of the first part of the season, played well at times after coming back, but was mostly a substitute down the stretch. At times I felt the team could have used N’Zogbia on the pitch more. The Chelsea match was a prime example. Up a goal, and up a man N’Zogbia could’ve helped push for a second to ice the game with a second goal. When Chelsea went level after Benteke’s red card Villa was still in the match, but could’ve used his creativity in the final third. And after Villa went down he probably he should’ve been out there.
Part of this probably is because of the emergence of Fabian Delph and Ashley Westwood. An N’Zogbia, Delph, Westwood midfield trio is lacking in size which Yacouba Sylla provided. If Villa can sign a winger or Marc Albrighton is fit and in form, perhaps N’Zogbia could play on the other wing. Lambert didn’t play with wingers a lot last season, but if he had more than one at his disposal maybe he would if he felt the situation called for it.
Marc Albrighton: A local lad and academy graduate, we all want Marc to do well. The only person who might want it more is Marc himself. With one year left on his contract it makes more sense to see if he can stay fit and play like he did two years ago than sell him for a pittance while his value is at an all-time low. Even on form he is not an ideal fit for the system Villa played toward the end of the season, but the manager isn’t married to that system. If he had wingers he would use them if he felt the situation called for it.
Brett Holman: His flexability makes him a useful player to have around. If Villa keep playing the 4-2-3-1/-4-3-3 they did late in the season, Holman can theoretically play centrally behind the front three or on either side of the central striker. Whether he wants to stick around as a squad player is another matter. Like Karim El-Ahmedi he came from Holland, played less as the season went on, faces more competition for his place if he does come back, and wouldn’t surprise anyone if he wasn’t back.
Ashley Westood: Came exactly as advertised, Michael Carrick lite. A building block going forward, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at a top 5 club at some point in his career and in an England shirt.
Fabian Delph: The proverbial late-bloomer, ugly duckling, pick your metaphor. His emergence along with Westwood was one of the keys in Villa’s survival. While not an academy graduate, he was always one of the young players we wanted to see succeed. Anybody with the *ahem* brass ones to stand up to a pissed Richard Dunne to defend Gordan Cowans despite giving up a fair amount of size has the leadership and guts anybody would want in a football. Gerard Houllier hailed Delph as a potential, future captain. I wouldn’t be opposed.
Yacouba Sylla: By the end of the season he looked like the long sought-after midfield enforcer the club has been lacking for too long to calculate. He may not have been the manager’s first choice after the board wouldn’t cough up the cask to sign Moussa Sissoke, but his play saved all their blushes.
Simon Dawkins: MLS isn’t that bad. The Earthquakes will take you back with open arms. If you stick around for awhile you will be able to play at their new stadium, not the third-rate college gridiron stadium they are not. That might sound a bit harsh. Dawkins wasn’t terrible, but he didn’t show enough to warrant a return.
Barry Bannan: When he combined with Marc Albrighton for the club’s goal of the season they both looked like big pieces of the club’s future. For a time this season he worked well with Ashley Westwood. Westwood would play the short, simple pass, and Bannan would compliment that with his long passes. That was brief however, and it does appear Bannan’s time at the club may be up. He keeps making the same mistakes, and it appears a change is in order.
Chris Herd: Like his countryman Holman his value lies more in versatility than his skill. While he was out for an extended period with an injury I can’t say I thought the club missed him at any point. Even if he sticks around for a year or two longer as a utility player I can’t see him having a major impact at the club or proving himself elsewhere like Craig Gardner.
Daniel Johnson: Didn’t realize he had a squad number.
Gary Gardner: If he is fit and looks good in preseason he can make El-Ahmedi and Bannan even less relevant. He has shown so much potential coming up through the ranks it would be a shame if he didn’t have a chance to prove himself with the first team due to injuries.
Samir Carruthers: That he broke in with the first team in the spring of 2012 had as much to do with a rash of injuries and the lack of depth in the squad as it did his development. If he doesn’t start to make an impact with the first team this season, then it might be time to worry whether he is another Nathan Delfouneso.
The Author
