City frustrate goal-shy Villa
O’Neill is still operating with one of the smallest squads in the Premier League and is itching for the transfer window to open. With a hefty cheque from Lerner burning a hole in his pocket, the Irishman has eyes for Portuguese international Jose Bosingwa at FC Porto and covets Spurs’ Jermain Defoe.
Goals are the currency of success and Villa need more of them.
Failure to convert opportunities against one of their main rivals for a top six finish, highlighted the problem O’Neill knows he must solve and he may even be willing to sell Marlon Harewood, who has scored just once since his €6million arrival from West Ham in the summer. Bolton, Middlesbrough and Derby County would all accommodate the striker and that would further increase money available to the European fund at Villa Park.
John Carew, the Norwegian international, gave a robust and muscular performance which thoroughly perplexed Micah Richards and left Richard Dunne battered and bruised from the moment he spun away from the City defender and resisted all attempts at recovery, before dispatching his fourth goal of the season.
Carew will never be prolific in terms of goal return, but on this form he would be the perfect battering ram, with more than a touch of subtlety for someone of the ilk of Defoe, as Gabriel Agbonlahor’s early season exploits start to catch up with him. There is a jaded hue about the young England under-21 right now and O’Neill knows it.
“January is important. We have an opportunity to add to our numbers. We have established a good platform and we need to try to do something in the market. I accept sometimes you have to pay over the odds in January, but it is something that we need to address,” said O’Neill, whose side have now taken just two points from their last 12 and cannot afford to slip any further adrift in a period when the table can alter dramatically and significantly.
Sven-Goran Eriksson is equally aware of that and has been playing Santa Claus at Eastlands, by giving his players Christmas Day off. “They need a good meal and should be with their families opening presents,” said the Swede, ahead of demanding fixtures against Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool at home, before they next attempt to find a cure for their inability to win away from home against Newcastle United.
Not since the opening day of the season has Eriksson travelled back to Manchester with three points, and it is only the superior form at home which has sustained their unlikely challenge for fourth place. Rolando Bianchi’s third goal in four games offered hope that the search would end at Villa Park, but early flattery gave way to deception and the disappearance off the radar of Elano remains a concern.
The Brazilian, the hub of all the early season excitement, has not looked himself of late and was again ineffectual here. Eriksson was roundly criticised for his refusal to buy English in the summer and kept his countenance as City flourished. How those assembled from all over Europe and South America cope with the alien concept of the Premier League’s energy-sapping festive schedule, will determine whether their own European challenge is genuine or fake.
Carson 6, Mellberg 6, Knight 6, Laursen 7, Bouma 7; Maloney 5 (Petrov), Reo-Coker 7, Barry 6, Young 6, Carew 9, Agbonlahor 7.
Taylor, Harewood, Davies, Gardner.
Hart 8, Onuoha 7, Dunne 6, Richards 7, Ball 6; Fernandes 7, Elano 6 (Garrido 75,5), Hamann 7 (Corluka 73,6), Petrov 7; Bianchi 7 (Etuhu 84, 5), Vassell 6.
Isaksson, Geovanni.
Lee Mason (Lancashire) 4. Irritating and pedantic throughout, in what was not a difficult game to referee.
*** Early goals inspired hope of a compelling thriller. Unfortunately did not come to pass. Still, an intriguing contest, which Villa know they should have won.
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