Martin O'Neill urges John Carew to believe in himself at Aston Villa

15 August 2009 01:00
Martin O'Neill has challenged John Carew to find the mental strength to be a permanently destructive force in the Barclays Premier League. Aston Villa's manager is questioning whether the big Norway striker has the mental capacity to tackle every game with the same intensity that makes him, on occasion, one of the most difficult top-flight forwards to play against. O'Neill has always respected Carew's ability but remains at a loss to explain why the drive and determination appears only infrequently. In midweek, his power unsettled Scotland's defence and led to Gary Caldwell's sending-off, and O'Neill feels the missing link could be inside the striker's head. Villa's boss said: 'When he is fully fit and wound-up he is a handful. He proved that here and in Europe with Valencia. I've often said he possesses more ability than he himself thinks. 'He is pivotal to us. He was unfit for three months and still ended up as our leading scorer. But playing a host of games in quick succession ... maybe psychologically he might not be able to do it. I think he is. 'When he returned from his bad back injury last season, he scored goals. He's a hero with the crowd and that's great. Scoring helps him greatly, as it helps every striker. More importantly, it gave him an insight into what he's still capable of.'

Source: Daily_Mail