Aston Villa Football Club News

• Nickname:The Villains
• Founded:1874
• Manager:Alex McLeish

• Ground:Villa Park
• Capacity:42,584

Villa boss stands by absences

25 Feb 2009 - 12:40:57

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Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has again defended his decision to omit a number of leading players from his squad for the UEFA Cup tie with CSKA Moscow.

The likes of Gareth Barry, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor are among the absentees for the first knockout round second leg in the Russina capital, with the tie locked at 1-1 after the first leg.

However, O'Neill told reporters: "I have no regrets whatsoever about entering the UEFA Cup. I am delighted because these experiences will definitely stand us in good stead.

"I am not just talking about the younger players like Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, but also ones who have played a lot of international football like Gareth Barry and Stiliyan Petrov.

"I think the European games at club level have been terrific for everyone so there are no regrets. In many aspects, it has helped us immensely.

"Maybe this time next year all these experiences that we have had will stand us in good stead.

"If we are still involved in Europe by this time next year, hopefully we will have the size of squad to be involved in these things.

"But the chairman has entrusted me in the running of the football club. This is the way I am doing it at the minute.

"The Premier League, given the position we are in, is very important. Taking everything into account, we have to prioritise."