CSKA Moscow 2 Villa 0
Thursday 26th February 2009, 7:28PM GMT.
CSKA Moscow produced a professional performance to get past Villa’s ‘reserves’ in the second leg of their UEFA Cup last-32 tie.
This was always going to be a bridge too far for a makeshift Villa side in the wake of eight first-team regulars controversially being left at home.
On the plastic pitch at CSKA’s Luzhniki Stadium, second-half strikes from Yuri Zhirkov on the hour and Vagner Love in the third minute of stoppage time proved enough to break Villa’s resistance.
With no Gareth Barry, Brad Friedel, Emile Heskey, James Milner, Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Carlos Cuellar and Stiliyan Petrov, there was every danger the visitors would be like sitting ducks in a shooting gallery.
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While I sympathise with the fans who travelled to Russia, knowing the league situation and the strength of the squad, it was inevitable that we would field a weakened side sooner or later.
We had to go the long way round to get there and with 32 teams still in the competition, all those extra games, plus our own domestic league and cup competitions, were having a telling effect on the players.
I for one am glad we are out of it, lets concentrate on a top four place, that way we qualify for europe automaticly and as such will hopefully attract top class players to the club.
I feel sure MON will spend this summer and if we do get a top four place, I’m sure we can look forward to better times at Villa.
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We all knew this would happen when the squad was announced, but I still worry that not taking the game seriously to try and pick ourselves and get back to winning ways could cost us.
Obviously I would never begrudge the young lads getting the chance to play, but at this stage of the season (and the whole reason for our surge up the table) is about trying to maintain momentum by giving it our all in every game.
It’s just this thing about the players he chose to leave behind being tired, as professional players they get looked after well enough so they should beable to handle multiple games in a week, they get paid well enough any how.
It is vital we get the 3 points against stoke, and i’ll get behind them and pray we haven’t screwed ourselves with this decision O’Neill made.
Up the Villa.
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