Villa players having World Cup effect

The World Cup 2018 is well underway with England fans bracing themselves for another few weeks of hurt. Gareth Southgate’s team – which boasts some strong connections to Villa Park through the manager and players Fabian Delph, Ashley Young, Kyle Walker and Gary Cahill – enter the tournament as outsiders and national expectation low but, with a relatively young and ambitious squad, might surprise the masses with a run to the latter stages.

Villa might not have sent any players to Russia with England but former stars such as Ashley Young and Fabian Delph have re-emerged as potential starters in Southgate’s line-up, having enjoyed successful seasons at club level. Southgate himself, a defender who enjoyed six years at Villa Park, is another reason why England should have hope – and why England are 6/5 to win the group at William Hill – having established a new system that makes better use of the team’s current strengths.

In terms of Villa’s crop of stars today, few possess the celebrity status of Egypt’s Ahmed Elmohamady who boasts more Twitter followers than his parent club. With a fully fit Mohamed Salah, Egypt will feel confident of getting out of a group which contains Russia, Saudi Arabia and the talented Uruguay team, and Elmohamady, who is adored in his homeland, offers plenty of experience off the bench. Villa fans might hope for more from the Egyptian in his second season after having reunited with his former Hull City manager Steve Bruce.

Speaking of squad players, Iceland’s Birkir Bjarnason might not be a regular Aston Villa starter, but he’s one of the first names on Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team sheet. He played in Iceland’s brilliant 1-1 draw with Argentina in their first game of the tournament, which featured another well-organised defensive display against one of the favourites to lift the trophy. Bjarnason, who signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Villa last year, famously helped his national team break English hearts at Euro 2016 when the minnows won 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals.

Defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak will have his work cut out to help Australia proceed out of a group that contains the multitalented French team, Denmark and Peru. Australia knows their limitations and head coach Bert van Marwijk sets them up to be difficult to beat. During qualification, they only lost twice in 22 games. Jedinak’s tenacity in midfield, something Villa fans know all about, will be fundamental to Australia’s chances of reaching the knock-out stage.

Villa’s stars might be playing for underdogs in World Cup 2018 but they’re the sort of teams that fans love to see do well. Especially the Iceland team, which will have no fear after its exploits in the recent European Championship and subsequent qualification for Russia. Despite featuring some part-time players, the Nordic island has found an effective way to play against the best through a disciplined defence. Egypt has the chance to proceed the furthest with some talented individuals, while Australia’s tight loss to France will have given them some hope.

Related

Leave a reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest posts

Google search engine

Categories