Source: Team_Talk
TEAMtalk Tirade: Lay off O'Neill
Villa take on CSKA Moscow in Russia in the crucial second leg of their last-32 UEFA Cup tie on Thursday night, but O'Neill has left virtually all of his first-team stars at home.[LNB]None of Gareth Barry, Brad Friedel, Emile Heskey, James Milner, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Carlos Cuellar or Stiliyan Petrov - the nucleus of Villa's first-choice line-up this season - have travelled, with the squad full of inexperienced youngsters instead.[LNB]Elliott Parish, Eric Lichaj, Ciaran Clark, Shane Lowry, Barry Bannan and Mark Albrighton have all travelled to Moscow but the sextet have an average age of 19 and just one first-team appearance between them.[LNB]So you can understand why the 300 or so Villa fans forking out good money to make the journey into Eastern Europe might be feeling a bit let down at the moment. And I fully sympathise with them because I'm sure they never expected to see a reserve side fielded in a competition they'd have had aspirations of winning at the start of the season.[LNB]However I think most Villa fans see the bigger picture and realise O'Neill is doing what is best for the long-term future of their club. In fact I'm sure there'd be questions asked of the Northern Irishman if he fielded a full-strength side in Moscow and then saw his tired stars lose at home to Stoke on Sunday.[LNB]And in the long run would they rather win the UEFA Cup and finish fifth, or lose in Moscow but claim a Champions League spot for the first time since the Premier League began?[LNB]It's a shame a good competition like the UEFA Cup is being devalued - by O'Neill playing a shadow side I can't argue it isn't - but the simple fact is that winning it will not help Villa take the next step of their development.[LNB]Randy Lerner, who incidentally is one of the finest chairmen around, obviously has clear intentions of turning the Villans into a side capable of regularly challenging for the title and competing in the premier European competition.[LNB]And that is achievable with O'Neill because the 56-year-old has achieved a vitrual miracle in his time at the club to build up a small but impressive squad that is holding its own in the top four. However, even the most ardent Claret and Blue would accept they are surpassing expectations this season given the squad at Arsene Wenger's disposal.[LNB]It is crucial, then, that O'Neill keeps his star men as fresh as possible to claim that final Champions League spot and then use the financial windfall to build a bigger and even more talented squad that can finish in the top four without having to surpass expectations.[LNB]If Villa do stave off Arsenal's challenge, and I believe they will, then the Midlanders will have a very real chance of re-establishing themselves as a genuine force in European football. They have the chairman and the manager, and a season in the Champions League would earn them the money and the kudos to build the squad too.[LNB]But if they miss out on the top four this season then it will be very tough to attract the quality of player that can help them improve on their current crop and take that next step into the big time. And unfortunately winning the UEFA Cup would not do a lot for their image either because, like it or not, the Champions League is everything to top players.[LNB]And funnily enough the best the example of this is Gareth Barry, who in the summer so desperately wanted to join Liverpool because of their Champions League involvement.[LNB]If Villa were to miss out on the top four then the England midfielder may look for a move again, but so might some of their other top players. So the Champions League is not only crucial in Villa attracting better players, but crucial in them holding on to their best ones.[LNB]So how can anyone have the cheek to criticise a manager for giving his club the best possible chance of a return to European football's top table? Particularly one such as O'Neill who has always put out sides to win, even against Gillingham in the FA Cup earlier this season.[LNB]It's also worth remembering he has reached the UEFA Cup final before with Celtic, so he certainly does not have apathy for the tournament. He simply knows that Villa, unlike the Bhoys, can achieve far bigger things if he makes the right moves over the next three months.[LNB]And I do not see how anyone can argue that this first move - resting his star men - is not a good one. By the way, why do people automatically assume CKSA Moscow will win anyway?[LNB]Villa's side on Thursday night is likely to show only four changes from the first leg which was drawn 1-1 so who is to say they will not go one better in Russia? [LNB]If they lose then O'Neill will be rounded on by the press, but will he be hailed as a genius if they win? I doubt it somehow. [LNB]O'Neill is a fantastic British manager, my manager of the season, and someone every young boss should look to for inspiration. His critics should get off his back and leave him to continue the tremendous job he is doing at Villa Park.[LNB][LNB]
