The road to survival at Aston Villa
Article by Luke Heyes
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Many realists wouldn’t have envisioned Villa claiming the three points over the weekend but Sherwood’s return to his former club couldn’t have gone any better. If the club do go on to retain their premier league status, the manager may owe much of his gratitude to Christian Benteke who proved once again to be a thorn in the opposition’s side, winning every ariel battle and scoring the only goal of the game; his seventh in his last five league matches and a statistic that not only proves the big Belgian is back to his best form, but how crucial his presence is as Aston Villa endeavor to beat the curse of relegation.
As the manager prepares the team for their FA Cup semi-final trip to Wembley, it’s worth taking a close look at Villa’s remaining fixtures and where realistically, points can be picked up and where points may be lost. As thrilling as Sunday will be for everyone involved, our league survival is still more important and with injuries piling up like dirty laundry, Sherwood will have some tactical headaches ahead of Sunday’s match.
Our remaining home fixtures include Everton, West Ham and a season finale against Burnley. Villa failed to beat any of these teams in the earlier opposing away fixtures, drawing both to West Ham and Burnley back in November and suffering a thumping three nil defeat to Everton in October. West ham are currently sitting in a more comfortable league position than Everton, but I still see the latter as more of a threat who have recently come into a rich vein of premier league form winning three and drawing one of their last four matches. West Ham’s form is inconsistent and hopefully by the time Burnley arrive to Villa Park at the end of May, our premier league survival will have been already confirmed. Regardless of statistics however, we have to look to the positives and remind ourselves that the club is once again buzzing with adrenaline -visiting teams will be anxious.
Man City and Southampton complete the list of away fixtures. Both teams are capable of being beaten and have proved throughout the season that consistency is not their prized asset failing to avoid the banana skins on multiple occasions. Man City are a shadow of their former self and there are currently doubts over the future of their manager Manuel Pellegrini. Southampton are pushing for a Champion’s League place but don’t look like they have the stamina or quality to achieve this. Everton, West Brom and Swansea have beaten the Saints recently and the firepower in their engine appears to be progressively dwindling.
Out of a possible fifteen points, I believe we will get seven; a tally which will definitely settle our place in the top-flight once again. Two home victories against West Ham and Burnley and an away draw to Southampton. I fear that The Toffees and Man City may just have the upper hand.
As all Villa fans prepare for Sunday in anticipation, it’s worth noting that in the midst of plaguing injuries and tactical burdens, the answer to a victory over Liverpool may be more straightforward than we think. Prepare for a masterstroke and a Wembley double bill.
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
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Many realists wouldn’t have envisioned Villa claiming the three points over the weekend but Sherwood’s return to his former club couldn’t have gone any better. If the club do go on to retain their premier league status, the manager may owe much of his gratitude to Christian Benteke who proved once again to be a thorn in the opposition’s side, winning every ariel battle and scoring the only goal of the game; his seventh in his last five league matches and a statistic that not only proves the big Belgian is back to his best form, but how crucial his presence is as Aston Villa endeavor to beat the curse of relegation.
As the manager prepares the team for their FA Cup semi-final trip to Wembley, it’s worth taking a close look at Villa’s remaining fixtures and where realistically, points can be picked up and where points may be lost. As thrilling as Sunday will be for everyone involved, our league survival is still more important and with injuries piling up like dirty laundry, Sherwood will have some tactical headaches ahead of Sunday’s match.
Our remaining home fixtures include Everton, West Ham and a season finale against Burnley. Villa failed to beat any of these teams in the earlier opposing away fixtures, drawing both to West Ham and Burnley back in November and suffering a thumping three nil defeat to Everton in October. West ham are currently sitting in a more comfortable league position than Everton, but I still see the latter as more of a threat who have recently come into a rich vein of premier league form winning three and drawing one of their last four matches. West Ham’s form is inconsistent and hopefully by the time Burnley arrive to Villa Park at the end of May, our premier league survival will have been already confirmed. Regardless of statistics however, we have to look to the positives and remind ourselves that the club is once again buzzing with adrenaline -visiting teams will be anxious.
Man City and Southampton complete the list of away fixtures. Both teams are capable of being beaten and have proved throughout the season that consistency is not their prized asset failing to avoid the banana skins on multiple occasions. Man City are a shadow of their former self and there are currently doubts over the future of their manager Manuel Pellegrini. Southampton are pushing for a Champion’s League place but don’t look like they have the stamina or quality to achieve this. Everton, West Brom and Swansea have beaten the Saints recently and the firepower in their engine appears to be progressively dwindling.
Out of a possible fifteen points, I believe we will get seven; a tally which will definitely settle our place in the top-flight once again. Two home victories against West Ham and Burnley and an away draw to Southampton. I fear that The Toffees and Man City may just have the upper hand.
As all Villa fans prepare for Sunday in anticipation, it’s worth noting that in the midst of plaguing injuries and tactical burdens, the answer to a victory over Liverpool may be more straightforward than we think. Prepare for a masterstroke and a Wembley double bill.
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
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