Break pleases O'Neill
11 Dec 2006 - 08:25:04
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill hopes that his side's recent break will have helped some of his young players - particularly Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Villa face Sheffield United on Monday, nine days after their last Premiership fixture at Portsmouth, and O'Neill is looking for a victory and a return to the top six, after his side's enforced rest.
"With the way the fixtures have fallen, and us not playing until Monday, this has been the first break the international players have had for quite a while and I gave them a couple of days off," he told the Evening Mail.
"You don't know how that works out but I think it was the best thing to do.
"I think, for instance, young Gabby (Agbonlahor) has played every single minute of every single game and that would have been a genuine surprise to him if you had said that at the start of the season.
"The very fact we've been unable to rest him might show our lack of strength in depth but that's up to us to address that.
"This is a big period coming up between now and New Year and I told him to go away and rest. Rest is as important as the playing.
"I said 'just go and stop thinking about football for a day or two - go and relax'. I wouldn't know what every single player is doing every single minute.
"The idea is to rest and get themselves mentally tuned in as well as physically."
Agbonlahor has scored three goals in 16 Premiership appearances this season, after starting only three matches last term.
