Angel backs Vassell

Juan Pablo Angel believes that Darius Vassell’s success with England means he is under more pressure to deliver the goods for Aston Villa.

Vassell has reserved some of his best performances for his country since he scored a spectacular goal on his debut against Holland two years ago.

And it was his introduction as a substitute and the opening goal which proved crucial in England’s 2-0 win over Turkey in a Euro 2004 qualifier at the Stadium Of Light.

In contrast, Vassell’s performances for Villa have been inconsistent and he registered only his ninth goal of the campaign in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Charlton, compared to Angel’s total of 20 in all competitions.

Villa manager David O’Leary has often demanded that Vassell, currently preparing for England’s friendly international in Sweden on Wednesday, deliver more goals.

But Angel has complete faith in the former Villa trainee and is confident his partnership with Vassell will continue to flourish.

The Colombian, on World Cup duty against Peru on Wednesday, told the Press Association: “It has been a difficult season for Darius.

“He is still young but he is under a lot of pressure because he seems to perform well for the national side.

“This season I think he knew he was going to be under a lot of pressure because he is the only current England player in our squad. That’s why people expect a lot of him.

“But he is a great player – and he does a lot for us that people probably don’t notice. The problem as a striker is that people only take notice of how many goals you score.

“That’s the pressure a striker faces. But I feel comfortable with him as a player. He started to score some goals around Christmas and New Year and he is playing a big part in our bid for a European place.”