da bwin： Saturday’s 2-1 victory over West Brom was met with a unified sigh of relief around the Aston Villa camp last weekend as the Midlanders finally record their first three points in the Premier League since October. However despite a very winnable clash away to a lowly Wigan next weekend, Gerard Houllier’s men need to gear themselves up for a long, hard festive season as they will have to see out the year with tough ties against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. With key squad members gradually returning to action, it is up to players and fans alike to pull together and weather the storm in the run up to 2011.
da betcris： The Villa entourage will be hoping the return of Spanish centre-half Carlos Cuellar can help see them through as well as veteran striker Emile Heskey who this season has been given a new lease of life under his French manager. Both players’ presences clearly lifted the squad last weekend in their important derby victory and it is imperative Houllier can keep these stars fit during this difficult period.
Boxing Day especially will be a hard pill to swallow as they face Tottenham Hotspur, a side who just last season were fiercely competing with Villa for that coveted Champions League spot. It wouldn’t be advised to remind Villa fans of how much the gulf has widened between these two sides in terms of quality this season but they certainly have a point to prove and will go into this tie with every ounce of enthusiasm.
If Villa can make a good account of themselves this month, bolster their squad with some much needed January signings, they can look ahead going into 2011 as their real chance to finally get their season back on track. Is Mr Houllier the right man for the job? We will certainly have a better idea of that this time next month.
Football Highlights from Spanish Football