John Carew's second half goal held up as Aston Villa downed Stoke City 1-0 for their fourth straight win.
Yes, that’s right. That title says “title” hopes.
Do I think Aston Villa will win the title? No.
Do I think they have a hope of winning the title? Whereas I couldn’t say the same for Liverpool, Manchester City (teams who were considered contenders at the season’s onset), or Tottenham – who are only a few points behind the Villans in the table – I can see Aston Villa in line to start competing with Chelsea and Manchester United should the teams who have won the last five league titles continue their poor form.
Now, I would put the odds of Aston Villa even contending for the league at around 6-to-1, but it’s fun to think about the Birmingham club competing with the Blues, Red Devils, and Gunners come May, and the reason they may be able to do so: their defending.
With their 1-0 win over Stoke City on Saturday, Aston Villa recorded their fourth straight shutout, extending their shutout streak to 243 minutes, when they allowed a consolation goal to Nwankwo Kanu while up 3-1 at Portsmouth. During that span, Villa has shut out Hull, Manchester United, and Sunderland before Stoke.
The Villans’ goal came through an ever more reliable route: a cross from Ashley Young onto the head of Jon Carew. If that sounds familiar, that is a similar formula to the goal that gave Villa their first win in 26 years at Old Trafford. Then (last weekend), it was Young to Gabriel Agbonlahor, heading home that match’s only goal.
Young, Villa’s best player over the last 2-3 seasons, may now being staking his claim to a place in South Africa that looks likely for teammate Emile Heskey, possible for teammates James Milner, Agbonlahor, and Stewart Downing. All of a sudden, this Villa team is looking talented.
None of those players play in defence, where Martin O’Neill’s strength suddenly lies. After the retirement of Martin Laursen, Villa was seen to have a hole at the back, and with Curtis Davies injured for most of this season (so far), defense could have been a problem for the Villans. As evidenced by their long scoreless streak, it has been quite the contrary.
Carlos Cuellar, acquired from Rangers at the beginning of last season, had played well in the Davies’ spot. Stephen Warnock has instantly fit in at left back, while Luke Young has settled on the right after being acquired last season in the wake of the Wilfred Buoma injury. O’Neill has each of his fullback playing as well as they have at any point in their career.
But the key to the back has been Richard Dunne. Acquired late in the summer window from Manchester City, Dunne has kept the words “Martin Larsson” out of Villa-supporters mouths. Given the reverence Villa Park had developed for the Danish defender, that is as much as the Irish veteran could have hoped to accomplished. In doing so, he has been the best central defender in the Premiership outside of Stamford Bridge.
The results were evident on Saturday.
When you see a 1-0 score involving Stoke, you assume a plodding affair, and while Stoke is still far from a creative side, they have developed into a team capable of taking advantage of errors. But for all the questions Stoke asked, Villa never relented, winning a one goal match versus a side that played good match.
It was the same story at Old Trafford and the Stadium of Light. Villa is playing well, beating good sides – doing more than catching them on off-days. That is a characteristic normally reserved for the league’s elite.
As of today, Aston Villa is among that elite, but doubts about whether they can stay are reasonable. We all remember last year. But unlike last year, Villa is reliant no more than their speed and counter. Villa is not the thin squad they were a year ago, and they have seen a new back line emerge.
The only thing missing is the pedigree, a pedigree they may be acquiring now.
Recent Comments