Villa favourite Ian Taylor believes the club’s latest meeting with Gareth Barry could prove to their former star that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Victory at Manchester City on Saturday would be sweet for more than one reason for the Villa faithful.

Of course, firstly it will ensure the claret and blues leave Eastlands still in with a shout of reaching the holy grail of the Champions League. That’s pretty big.

But there’s another reason – Gareth Barry.

Not since Dwight Yorke went to Manchester United has a Villa Park exit been as controversial, and painful, for supporters as Gareth’s £12million switch to Manchester City.

Having previously told everyone he would only leave the club for Champions League football, to join a club not even in the Europa League was a kick in the teeth.

Well, Saturday is now Villa’s chance to prove the England midfielder made the wrong decision. His bank balance might be looking healthier, but on the field the two sides have been neck and neck all season.

Even now, with just a week-and-a-half of the season to go just a point separates them – Villa one ahead having played an extra game.

If boss Martin O’Neill manages to steer his side above Roberto Mancini’s men – whether it be fourth, fifth or even sixth – Gareth’s decision is going to come under scrutiny.

Should they reach clinch fourth, it would be one of those great ironies that football seems to throw up every once in a while.

Michael Owen must have thought for all the world he had a better chance of winning the Champions League at Real Madrid and then Liverpool won it the next season.

I’m not even sure Gareth is the same player now as he was at Villa. He’s certainly not earned rave reviews for his performances at City this season, people are saying he’s been playing within himself.

The fact is he’s no longer the main man like he was. It would have been hard to believe a year ago, but Villa haven’t even missed him.

James Milner has just been named in the PFA Team of the Year in that position, so there’s all the proof you need the hole has been more than adequately filled.

If the reports are to be believed then this summer we could find ourselves fighting to keep James out of City’s clutches.

But, if Gareth’s story has told us anything, then it’s that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

It was really great to see two Villa players making the PFA team of the year and there could be no arguments with either James or Richard Dunne’s inclusion.

You only have to look at the way James has forced his way into the thick of the England set-up this season to realise just how good a season he’s had.

Milner began the season cap-less at senior level, a winger who still had to justify his club record £12million price tag.

Twelve goals and a string of Man of the Match performances later – not to mention some consistently excellent sub appearances for England – he’s now Villa’s main man in the middle of the park and is valued at double that. Quite brilliant and no one deserves it more than such a dedicated professional as him.

Then there is Dunne. If ever a player felt a point to prove it was him after the way he was disgracefully discarded by Manchester City.

And how he’s done it – playing some of the best football of his career this season.

City must be kicking themselves – it’s an absolute PR own goal on and off the pitch from their point of view – so who’d bet against him sticking the knife in with another goal to go on Saturday to go with the one scored in the corresponding Villa Park fixture.

No one expected us to find someone as good as Martin Laursen, certainly within Villa’s price range, but pound for pound Dunne is as good a signing at £6million as Villa have made for a long time.

Hopefully we can get two or three more good years out of him yet.

Also, congratulations to Wolves for ensuring we’ve finally got the West Midlands’ big four all in the top flight next season. It’s been a long time coming.

There’s hope of them all staying there too, as there’s very little to choose between the entire bottom half of the Premier League now.

The main thing for Albion is working on their defence, which has let them down in previous relegation seasons.

It’s a lesson that was clearly heeded by boss Mick McCarthy at Molineux as even if Wolves didn’t score many this season, they at least kept it tight at the back most of the time.

A marquee signing like a Kevin Doyle would certainly boost the Baggies’ chances and we could see some interesting battles between the clubs in the transfer window this summer, before a ball is even kicked.

Finally, football was the loser last night after Inter Milan’s controversial Champions League win over Barcelona.

The time-wasting tactics of Jose Mourinho’s side was nothing short of disgraceful and quite how the referee ended up with so little added time was beyond me. We all know the better team lost but that’s how football goes some times.

Once again full credit to Mourinho who is a master of making the most is what is available to him. There’s no doubt he has some brilliant defensive-minded players like Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti, Walter Samuel and Lucio among his ranks.

I could never see English players resorting to the shameful play-acting of the Inter players, it just doesn’t seem to be in our make-up.

But it has become a big part of tournament football – and the higher the stakes the more it seems to happen.

It is something England could find themselves up against at the World Cup and, sadly, I fear the absence of it from our game could be one of the reasons why we don’t win.