Optimism sky-high following pre-season prosperity

Optimism sky-high following pre-season prosperity

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A lot can happen in a couple of weeks. Peace Cup champions, victories against three Champions League regulars, and two new additions to the squad. There are not many better ways to prepare for the new season. Confidence is rocketing at the moment down at Villa Park, and with a few more quality signings, there is a belief that Villa can certainly match, if not improve, on last years finishing position, as well as further progre sion in cup competitions.Peace CupDespite a 1-0 lo s to Malaga, progre sion into the next round was ensured . A heated tie with Porto, in which Emile Heskey was sent off, resulted in a 2-1 win for Villa, Heskey and Steve Sidwell providing the goals.This gave Villa a place in the final against Juventus, who had beaten a strong Real Madrid team 2-1 in the previous round. It would take a tremendous effort to overcome the Italian side, but we managed it. A hard-fought game brought Ben Ellefson Jersey chances for both sides to win within normal time, with Villa dominating the majority of the first half as Juve began to pile on the pre sure later on. But despite impre sive performances from individuals such as MarcAlbrighton and BarryBannan, the deadlock couldnt be broken, not evenduring extra time, and the game went on to penalties.After penalty number 5, it was tied at 3-3. Bannan, Shane Lowry and Ashley Young had all scored for Villa, but Steve Sidwell had fired over, and Chris Herds effort was saved. David Trezeguet, Amauriand Felipe Melo had found the back of the net for Juve, while Guzan had saved from Vincenzo Iaquinta. It was nowall down to Ale sandro Del Piero. The Italian World Cup-winning forward, and Juves highest capped player, could have won it for his side. All it required was a well-placed shot past Villa keeper Brad Guzan.But bizzarely, Del Piero opted for a weak strike straight down the middle Guzan could hardly believe his luck, easily saving the ballas it trickled towards him. Carlos Cuellar, who had put in a splendid and much improved performance during the game, stepped up to take Villas next spot kick. Mental images of Cuellars frequent clumsy long balls down the pitchmust have flashed up in the minds of every Villa fan at this point, but we neednt have feared; he blasted it confidently into the top left hand corner.Finally, after the nextpenalty, there was a winner.Nicola Legrottaglies mi s sent the Villa team into emphatic celebrations, with Bannan, Davies and Albrighton the first to reach Guzan and congratulate the heroic goalkeeper. youtube: Technically, the Peace Cup has no relevance to the Premier League; it is just a pre-season tournament, after all. But morally it was very important, especially when considering the strength of the Villa squad at the time. Experiencedmembers of theregular starting 11were mi sing,i.e Stiliyan Petrov and Emile Heskey. At the beginning of the match, the lineup consisted of three youth team players, which following substitutions during the game became six by the final whistle. This against Champions League regulars and World Cup stars. And anyone who thought it was meaningle s, try telling that to Juve, who struggled to hide their disappointment while collecting their runners-up medals.New SigningsThere have been three new additions to the squad following the arrival of Stewart Downing some weeks ago.Fabian DelphThe 19 year old midfielder signed on August 3rd from Leeds United for an undisclosed fee.Delph: star of the futureThis could be a potentially ma sive signing by Martin ONeill. The youngster has impre sed in League One with Leeds, scoring several fantastic goals last season, and many fans within the division believe he would have no problem stepping up to the Premier League. A whole host of top clubs were interested in Delph, including Everton, Manchester City, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. Manchester Citys bid was initially accepted, but after demanding a week to consider the deal, Leeds accepted Villas offer, praising the honourable manner in which Aston Villa have conducted their interest in the player.Delph has since stated that he is not motivated by money, but bythe desire to improve as a player, and become the best he can, and felt Villa was the best place to bedue of the progre sion of young English talent at Villa Park since the arrival of ONeill. For that he has already earnt the respect of many Villa fans, and his Premier League debut is eagerly awaited.Habib BeyeThe Senegalese right-back joined the club on August 7th, for approximately 2.5 million, from Newcastle United.Beye: popular and experienced defenderA reliable player, whoputs his best effort into every game, and can also provide an option when going forward. These are just some of the reasons he was voted Newcastles Player of the Year last season.Beye became something of a cult hero with fans up in the North East, who adapted the theme tune from Happy Days to sing in honour of him.Beye, who has previously played for PSG, Strasbourg and Marseille, had initially said he wanted to stay at Newcastle and help them regain their Premier League status. However, as problems continued behind the scenes, he realised he had to move in order to save his career.Id like nothing more than to stay and help the team get back to where it belongs but there is no chance of us being promoted the way things are going. Training has been good but there is a sense that everything is just drifting. This cannot go on, it really cant. I feel for the good of my career I have to get away because it is dragging me down.Hull Citys bid was accepted by Newcastle, but after interest from Villa, he signed a 3-year deal the following day. Their lo s is hopefully our gain.AndyMarshallThe goalkeeper has signed a one-year contract, a free agent after his release by Coventry City.Marshall: third-choice keeper?Quite an unexpected signing from a fans point of view. But ONeill has seemingly decided young keeper Elliot Parish is not yet experienced enough to be seen as a deputy to Friedel and Guzan. At 34, Marshall is probably not intended to be starting many games for Villa, but insted to help the development of the younger shot-stoppers, and be an already ablereplacement if needed.Villa 1-0 Chris Herndon Jersey FiorentinaWith only a week to go before the beginning of the season, a pre-season friendly against a teamparticipating inthe Champions League play-offs seemed a perfect way to prepare.The starting 11 was a mixture of youth and experience. James Milner, Craig Gardnerand Gabby Agbonlahor returned to the team, after an extended break due to participation in the European Under-21 championships. Emile Heskey and Brad Friedel returned, Eric Lichaj and NickyShorey kept their places as did Ashley Young, captaining the side while young central defender Ciaran Clark replaced Curtis Davies in defence. A debut was also handed to new signing Fabian Delph.An outstanding debut from DelphAnd it was the youth who stole the show. Delph was certainly making his mark after a relatively quiet first 10 minutes, he was soon catching the eye of the 22,000 inside Villa Park. Bursting forwards, creating chances and constantly looking to win the ball. A definite contender for Man of the Match and a starting place against Wigan. The Fiorentina manager Cesare Prandelli agreed:Iknow all about Ashley Young but I was not aware of this boy Delph. I was very impre sed. He has a great personality, never lost a ball and always had an alternative.Albrighton and Delfouneso were also impre sive. Substitutions during the second half, they gave the side a different edge. Albrighton was extremely industrious, constantly running down the right and providing cro ses for the likes of Heskey and Delfouneso in the middle. Agbonlahor was ineffective, Carew and Young strangely quiet. Heskey was a lot more lively than usual, and indeed he turned out to be the matchwinner, a header after 16 minutes froma Young cro s. Fiorentina were more threatening during the second half, but the Villaback four, including Davies who came on in the second half, dealt with everything thrown at them. Fiorentina won a penalty with 15 minutes Trishton Jackson Jersey to go, as a result of a Davies handball. But Alberto Gilardino mi sed the spot-kick (which begs the question: are our opposition cursed when it comes to penalties? Lets hope so) and Villas lead lasted until the final whistle.Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic: PreviewIt is well known the effect that a new manager can have on a club, and Wigan fans will hope it applies to them this weekend. Roberto Martinez would be hoping to improve on Wigans11th place finish last year, under now-Sunderland bo s Steve Bruce, and a positive start to the season will be crucial towards this.Villa will also be looking for an early 3 points, and ONeill will most likely be handing Premier League debuts to Habib Beye and Fabian Delph. Right-back Beye will replace Eric Lichaj; Luke Young is still not 100% fit andafter the , is unlikely to feature. Delph will retain his place in midfield, along with Ashley Young, James Milner who had an extremely impre sive England debut on Wednesday and po sibly a return for Stiliyan Petrov, recovering from a shoulder injury and the lead contender to captain the side. A starting place also beckons for Carew, who also impre sed on international duty for Norway.Predicted Starting XI:Aston Villa: Friedel, Beye, Davies, Cuellar, Shorey, Milner, Petrov, Delph, Ashley Young, Carew, Agbonlahor.Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Scharner, Brown, NZogbia, Koumas, Gomez, Scotland, Rodallega.Predicted Result:Aston Villa 2-1 WiganDelph, CarewScotland
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