Villa - Are they Leicester City in disguise?

[davieG]

http://www.sundaymer...6331-26170733/?

Andy Walker: Leicester City - the perfect template for Aston Villa?

Apr 4 2010

ONE American goalkeeper. Check.

Bruising centre-halves that are lethal weapons at set-pieces and willing to put their bodies on the line. Check.

A holding central midfielder partnered with an energetic busy body. Check.

Plenty of width and players that know how to deliver a dead ball. Check.

Big man Emile Heskey up front alongside a little man. Check.

That's Leicester City circa 1997, now on to Aston Villa's class of 2010...

While Chelsea were making a mockery of Villa's claims to be part of the Premier League's elite at Stamford Bridge last weekend, try as he might Martin O'Neill wouldn't have been able to block out the chants of 'Are you Leicester in disguise?' from the home fans.

It's an accusation (if you'd call it that) that O'Neill has heard before.

While Celtic manager, Rangers taunted O'Neill with the jibe that his side were just Leicester with Henrik Larsson. It appears that the Northern Irishman just can't shake off the stereotype that came with the managerial style that first brought him to the attention of chairmen at Britain's top football clubs.

Take the typical knee-jerk reaction from some Villa supporters during the misguided midweek madness that triggered the rumours that O'Neill had quit his post.

The phone-ins, forums and supporters conversation that followed used the 'we're just Leicester' line as a criticism of O'Neill.

It's an easy comparison to make. For Matt Elliot see Richard Dunne, for Neil Lennon see Stiliyan Petrov, for Steve Guppy see Ashley Young, for Emile Heskey see Emile Heskey. Yet is that comparison necessarily a bad thing?

O'Neill took an average team going nowhere into the Premier League promised land and into European football, while filling their trophy cabinet with two League Cups along the way.

Just look where Leicester ended up after he left.

Having made that side punch so far above their weight that they would have made Manny Pacquiao v Nikolai Valuev look a fair contest, O'Neill is now attempting to build a similar model with a much more talented crop of players.

Working on the logic he can guide Villa, something of a sleeping giant, to an equivalent level of success to that over-achieving Leicester side, then surely Champions League football will be on the horizon for the claret and blue army.

Success

Where would Villa end up if O'Neill left? The playing style may be viewed as negative by some, but if it eventually brings the level of success that Villa deserves then who cares?

It's clear that next season, should he still be at the club, will be the most testing of O'Neill's managerial career, given the expectation around Villa Park.

But should a comparison to O'Neill's fantastic Foxes of Filbert Street be considered such a bad thing?

[FoxyPV]

He won two LC and played in europe with Leicester - it's not a bad comparison for Villa.

[Edmund]

I disagree. The Villa team of today is very much different than the Leicester team under Martin.

Not only has he spent a great deal more, they possess much more quality.

[Hitesh]

And they don't play 3-5-2!

[Fosse Fox]

I disagree. The Villa team of today is very much different than the Leicester team under Martin.

Not only has he spent a great deal more, they possess much more quality.

The 99/00 LCFC team would blow the current Villa side over the Holte End (P8 in the Prem, one place below Villa now and League Cup winners to boot and MON still had change from a brass farthing).

Guppy, Lenny, Muzzy, Stanley.

And Bruno then was ten times the player he is now.

[Jay]

what a load of rubbish that article is, so let me get this right because he uses centre backs in defence, midfielders in midfield, wingers on the wing and err strikers upfront he's now one dimensional and is building the same team?

what a pointless article