Having enjoyed their best start to a season since Graham Taylor was in control back in 1990 and after an impressive 13-match unbeaten league run, Aston Villa were within three points of the top of the table. Optimism was sky high at Villa Park and manager Martin O'Neil was struggling to play down talk of a title challenge...
2 Months Later
Despite fielding a weakened team in the UEFA Cup so as to concentrate on their league form, Villa collected just two wins from their last twelve matches and finished the 08/09 campaign behind Everton in sixth place.
This clear change in form has prompted a number of questions from fans, pundits and observers with regards to the impact Emile Heskey had on Villa's fortunes since joining from Wigan Athletic in January. Though is it fair to let the England striker shoulder all the blame?
Although Heskey's arrival during the transfer window was hailed as a coup and the £3.5 million target-man was expected to add much needed presence up front in the absence of Carew, since then Villa struggled to maintain their early form. It would be unfair to say the England international played poorly however his introduction into the team arguably created rather than solved a problem. The signing prompted O'Neill to ditch the 4-5-1 formation that proved successful for Villa and had propelled them above Arsenal and into the top four.
Furthermore it is apparent that no partnership formed between Heskey and his international compatriot Gabriel Agbonlahor, and with regards to the latter his confidence seems to have dropped. It was of course Agbonlahor who, due to his electric pace, benefited from the aforementioned formation.
However whilst Heskey may have upset the balance of the club and not benefited the team as much as O'Neill had hoped, there are other obvious factors culpable for Villa's drop in form.
Fatigue unquestionably played a factor in Villa's nosedive. With a small squad that played its first competitive match almost a month before the Premier League season started, the squad clearly suffered. Additionally the presence of Martin Laursen in central defence was badly missed due to his unfortunate injury.
Whatever the reason, it is perhaps a shame for the neutral that Aston Villa couldn't break the ‘quadopoly' of the top four after such a promising start to the campaign. And for the Midlands side, the club's failings to qualify for the Champions League has perhaps played an influential factor in Gareth Barry's decision to move to Manchester City.
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