There may be a bit of doom and gloom around the Emirates these days, but Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill has seen more than a few positives out of the London side this season. What a great guy.
“They are playing some of the best football in the country,” he said. “This notion that they have only one way of playing and don’t have a plan B, I just don’t understand it.
“I wouldn’t consider their season a failure. I wouldn’t know how Arsene Wenger views it, but they are still contesting a Champions League spot at the moment.”
“They have been a fine side for some considerable time. From a distance, I thought this season they may not have the strength in depth of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea.
“I think that has been disproved because some of the younger players have come in and shown their worth and it has not been a case of discarding them and waiting for another Carling Cup game to come along before playing them.
“They are actually putting themselves forward as genuine contenders for Premiership football and that’s where they have gained and they will be much stronger for it this time next season.”