During most seasons football fans debate who they predicted would shine and of course flop for their team so I asked people on our Aston Villa Forums to predict who they thought would shine in the 2013-14 season.
In this article I will tell you all about my predictions and who got the most votes on the forum.
Top Goalscorer: Christian Benteke
There has been much talk about our big Belgian striker this summer with the media suggesting he wants out but I firmly believe he will still be a Villa player next season – and our top goalscorer once again.
There is no doubt that second season syndrome could kick in but I believe this lad is always learning and his big physical presence will make it hard for defenders to always keep tabs on him. I am not sure if he will score as many goals as he did last season but I believe he will score more than any other Villa player.
Forum Choice: Christian Benteke
Best Defender: Jores Okore
Jores Okore was rumored to of twice turned down a move to Europa League champions Chelsea giving the factor that he wanted to play all the time – and not in a rotational setup so it doesn’t hinder his progress.
He is exactly the type of player Paul Lambert wants in our squad – Young, hungry and determined to succeed in the Premiership and in my opinion there will only be one winner from this – Aston Villa. The fact that Paul Lambert has brought him in so he gets a full pre-season with the rest of the squad could help him to make an immediate impression on the Villa faithful.
Forum Choice: Jores Okore
Best Midfielder: Ashley Westwood
It was a toss up between Fabian Delph and Ashley Westwood as to who I believed would really shine next season and in the end I chose the former Crewe man.
Westwood himself described himself as a ‘Michael Carrick’ type player he isn’t a bad player to compare yourself to. Often his work goes unnoticed but there aren’t many more comfortable on the ball than him and he will only get better with experience.
Forum Choice: Ashley Westwood
Most Improved Player: Joe Bennett
Joe Bennett was often described last season by some Villa fans as the ‘worst ever player’ to wear the famous Aston Villa shirt but I felt towards the end of last season Bennett began to show with good old hard work he could just make a name for himself at Villa Park.
He gets forward as often as possible, and has a pretty decent cross on him so if he can improve his defending he could become an established Premiership full back. The signing of Antonio Luna will also give him the competition he so badly needs.
Forum Choice: Joe Bennett
U21 player to watch: Callum Robinson
Callum Robinson really impressed in the u21 team last season and a lot of people began to sit up and take notice of his ability. He helped the u21 to success in the Next Gen Series and I believe that he could take his chance should he be given it this season.
If you follow him on Twitter then you will know all about his ambition and his determination to succeed and should the player i predict to flop – actually flop then Callum might just get an opportunity.
Forum Choice: Samir Carruthers
Overall Player: Gabriel Agbonlahor
I am a firm believer that Gabriel Agbonlahor is very much a confidence player and just like he shone under Martin O’Neill, I believe he will also continue his impressive form last season into this season under Paul Lambert.
Gabby is Villa through and through and it is not very often in this day and age you get a ‘1 club player’ but I wouldnt be surprised if Agbonlahor sore his career out at Villa Park.
Christian Benteke will become more of a marked man this season and this could be the downfall for many clubs as this will allow Gabby and his blistering pace to really hurt defences. The one downfall on Gabby as a player in my opinion has always been his finishing so if he could improve that and combine it with his pace and power then he could very well have a shot at going to Brazil with the England team next summer.
Forum Choice: Brad Guzan
Flop: Marc Albrighton
One thing that always sticks with me when I think of Marc Albrighton is when I emailed Jack Woodward asking him to ask Marc (following his first season in the Premiership) what part of his game he believes he needs to improve his reply was ‘to score more goals’.
For me Marc hasn’t improved on his first season – I have said it since that season that he must improve on his final ball and add a bit of flare to his game. He isn’t the fastest in the world so he cant keep trying to beat players for pace. Sadly – as much as I would like Marc to succeed as he is a Villa fan and came through the Villa academy I just cant see him producing the goods and I fully expect him to not earn a contract renewal come the end of the season.
Forum Choice: Leandro Bacuna
So what do you think of my predictions? and what are yours?
I like what you’re saying here, but fear Benteke may be gone soon if he’s offered champions league football and I have a feeling Albrighton could prove you wrong. With a bit of the old ‘hard work’ and a spell in the team he might show that progress you want to see. Bannan has been far more disappointing i think.
I reli hope gabby an albrighton shine an hope benteke stays but if he’s gona go I’d rather him go now rather than waiting til near snuff the end of the window an then we can’t get a replacement.
You speak much sense. I do have a feeling that the Beast of Belgium will surprise everyone and stay.
Albrighton may also find some confidence and provide some quality width, but it will be a bonus if so…
Gabby will thrive on his success in the last half of last season and continue playing for the love of his Villa, without the pressure that stifled him under previous poor management. Come on! We love the speedy bugger!!
I’m already a Westwood fan. ‘Addicted to possesion’, as our ‘Special One’ has pointed out.
Bennett… I’d love him to prove us wrong after a pre-season… BUT?
That’s me done then…
UTV
I can see Tekkers staying. He is perfectly suited to the EPL and the only teams that can offer him CL in the EPL have an abundance of attacking options so there is no guarantee of game time – a key factor for him with the WC coming up. Chelski are the latest to be linked and they already have Lukaka, Torres and Ba. Assuming that the last two are moved on, they will not go into a season with just Tekkers and Lukaka and will move for, say, Lewandowski. This would mean he is fighting with Lukaka for second spot in a team that plays with one striker!
I would like to see Albrighton out on loan for the first half of the season to see if he can get his mojo back, along with Carruthers, Drennan, Burke, Siegrist, Johnson and Robinson. Let’s give these boys a chance at some competitive game time and see how that improves their game. Winning the nextgen was nice but it is wasted if you can’t then get these talents into first team football and there are very few Rooney’s who can move straight from youth into the first team in the PL. They also represent a chance, I think, to generate good will with teams lower down the pyramid that may have players we want to sign in the future.