It is never easy being a football fan: it is practically guaranteed that your team will bring you stress, heartache, joy, ecstasy and worry all within the space of one match, especially if you do not support one of the big boys. Nothing is ever certain in football and any team can beat another if the players play to their potential and the footballing gods are on their side that given day. That is why we love the sport and why it is widely known as the beautiful game.
Being a Villa fan has been a somewhat stressful experience over the past few years, with frequent flirtation with the drop zone, managerial changes almost every summer and dwindling attendances leading to a lack of atmosphere, excitement and victories at Villa Park. Paul Lambert is here to stay and fans who are calling for his head will not get their wish, no matter how hard they stamp their feet or how loudly they shout due to the fact that what our club needs right now is stability, a manager with a vision and a long term plan that lasts a number of years and, slowly but surely, sees improvements noticeable to all, not just the minority.
After managing to survive last season with a string of impressive performances towards the end of the season, many fans expected us to push on this season and replicate that form whilst aiming for a single digit positional finish rather than one in the bottom half. Was that too much to hope for?
Currently on a four game unbeaten run, there is no need to panic just yet. A top ten finish is perfectly achievable this season – a couple of tweaks here and there could see us finish well up the table and the 2013/2014 season could go down as a huge success. It could be the catalyst for a European push in the coming years. However, it could also go horribly wrong like it almost has done in previous campaigns.
“Boring” and “uninspiring” are words that have been used by some to describe recent performances by the boys in claret and blue, especially in games against the likes of Hull and Sunderland in which the players never really got out of the changing rooms let alone first gear. These are teams Villa would have been beaten on the day had the players been more clinical and attacking. This is a fair assessment, in my opinion, as it is plain to see that there is potential in our squad. This issue is that half of the time the potential appears to be somewhere else.
Next up for Paul Lambert’s side is a trip to the ever-improving Southampton for the first midweek fixture of the season, a game which is set to showcase two of the youngest squads in the division. Southampton, consistently drafting players from the youth set up in to the first team, have been a revelation this season and, despite the two recent defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea, find themselves sitting comfortably in the top half of the table.
They play with pace, style and a continental flair which has been instilled in them by the impressive Mauricio Pochettino, a manager who was unknown when he was appointed but is now fast becoming one of the leading coaches in the Premier League. Good results at Anfield and Old Trafford this season have earned plaudits for the south coast side and the Villans will have to perform at their absolute best to bring any points at all back with them to Birmingham.
Projected Team:
Andreas Weimann is expected to overcome the tight hamstring which forced him off against Sunderland at the weekend and will more than likely return to the starting XI for the match on Wednesday night. Christian Benteke is experiencing something of a goal drought by any striker’s standards at the moment and a lack of confidence and conviction in front of goal is starting to hamper his hopes of starting for Belgium in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Paul Lambert is expected to stick by the young prodigy and had backed him to overcome this goal drought, insisting that he will start firing again soon.
Calls for Leandro Bacuna to be played in a more forward position and for Matthew Lowton to be recalled into the starting line-up have fallen on deaf ears of late and the Dutchman is against expected to be chosen at right back ahead of Lowton who has been critical of his own performances this season which have seen him dropped from the starting line-up.
The Opposition:
After a poor start to the 2012-2013 campaign, Southampton well and truly kickstarted their season with a thumping 4-1 win over Villa despite trailing at half time in that match. A few months later Nigel Adkins was sacked and Pochettino was appointed as manager and it is fair to say the Saints have not looked back since. The south coast side also managed to record a victory at Villa Park after Jay Rodriguez’s dive was rewarded with a penalty and Ricky Lambert stepped up to earn the three points.
Artur Boruc is out for the next few weeks after breaking his hand in the recent defeat at Chelsea and he is joined on the treatment table by Morgan Schneiderlin who is also set to miss a few matches after damaging his hamstring in the same match at the weekend. Also on the casualty list are absentees Danny Fox, Guly Do Prado, Kelvin Davis and Gaston Ramirez.
Game Information:
Kick Off: 19:45
Venue: St. Mary’s
Tickets: Prices – £32 [Adults], £28 [O65s], £28 [17-21], £19 [U17s], £10 [U11s]
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Last Meeting: Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa
Predictions:
Southampton 2-0 Aston Villa – @MrOMeara
Southampton 3-0 Aston Villa – Paul Merson
Southampton 2-1 Aston Villa – Mark Lawrenson
