Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Villa players turn down sun for rest
Thursday 1st April 2010, 11:27AM BST.
Villa’s weary players have turned down the chance of a sunshine break in Portugal this week to rest up at home.
Morning reports claim boss Martin O’Neill made the offer of a four-day trip to the continent for his shattered squad before Saturday’s 7-1 thrashing at Chelsea, in a bid to recharge their batteries.
But they decided they would prefer to remain on home soil and spend time with their families, so captain Stiliyan Petrov was charged with the task of asking the manager for the players to be allowed extra time off this week.
The request was granted with Villa’s squad given the middle of the week off, after Monday’s inquest into their Stamford Bridge annihilation.
This weekend’s trip to Bolton will be the 20th game of what has been a gruelling 2010 for Villa, although O’Neill has essentially stuck with the same players for the games.
Last week, winger Stewart Downing admitted ahead of the defeat to the Blues that the players were “dead on their feet,” while on Tuesday Petrov claimed the squad were “in need of a rest.”
Villa have a long list of walking wounded with Petrov, Richard Dunne, James Collins, James Milner, Gabby Agbonlahor, John Carew, Emile Heskey, Fabian Delph, Nigel Reo-Coker and Marlon Harewood having all been nursing knocks or injuries in recent weeks.
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