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From the Terraces
Tagged:
Premiership, Aston Villa
Football FanCast
columnist Rob Facey looks at Martin O'Neill's decision to end
Patrik Berger's Villa career after he encouraged Gareth Barry to move to
Liverpool, but thinks that the damage may already have been done.
Berger, who moved to Liverpool after Euro 96, is quoted as
saying "if I was in Gareth's
position, I would go there tomorrow," and has met the wrath of his furious manager. O'Neill has
already a huge task on his hands trying to convince his skipper to stay on, and
is right not to tolerate his team mates undermining his position.
"I was really disappointed and surprised that
Patrik, with all his experience of dealing with the press, would make such an
inappropriate comment," O'Neill
told The Guardian.
"The sad aspect of it is that we are paying Patrik's wages for him to recommend one of our players to another football club. It's ludicrous.
"He said he didn't mean a great deal of harm but the harm has been done and he won't be playing any part in proceedings from here on in."
Calling a move Merseyside move an "opportunity of a lifetime" will surely upset the manager who has done much to improve Aston Villa's stock in the Premier League as they look for a consistent top 6 finish from now on.
Barry has impressed with displays at Villa Park and for England this season but the decision to stay at Villa will be the hardest of his career. If he was to move on he could end up in a similar situation as Scott Parker found himself after a move to Chelsea a few seasons ago.
Liverpool's central midfield is already crowded and Barry, who arguably is no better than Alonso, Mascherano and Lucas, who face stiff competition for the one remaining place alongside Steven Gerrard.
Should Villa prioritise his staying, or plan on using the £10-15m fee that will be received to buy adequate replacements?
What a blow it would be for Villa to lose their talisman - would this leave them stranded in mid table obscurity for the foreseeable future?
Barry is at a crossroads, and though receiving advice, what will his decision be?
Poll:
It seems inevitable to me
It seems inevitable to me that Barry will leave in the Summer. He has been a great servant to the club and it would be a sad day to see him move on, but we have to be realistic about it.
I don't think Liverpool need
I don't think Liverpool need him to be fair unless Benitez has doubts over Gerrards future, the signing wouldnt make sense to me otherwise.
It seems more and more
It seems more and more likely that Xabi Alonso will be sold this summer and Barry will drop straight in next to Mascherano with Lucas as the rotational player.
Also with Lucas and Mascherano likely to miss most of August through the Olympics it would be apparent that Rafa has an idea to play Gerrard and Barry together in a 4-4-2 as they already know each others game.
I as a Liverpool fan think very highly of Barry and think that he could be a real success story at Liverpool as he has been at Villa - quality player, no doubt in my mind.
It seems obvious to me that
It seems obvious to me that Benitez is wanting Barry as a replacement for Alonso, who's been unsettled for most of the season, although he has been impressive in a few games, i think he's had an internal rift with Rafa.
Mach and Barry in the centre, stevie G sitting infront of them, Babel on the left and Kuyt (or a replacement yet to be named) on the right.
Theres also the option of placing Babel up front with Torres and putting Yossi on the left?
Thoughts?
unsure about it. heaps of
unsure about it. heaps of press, too much, and i don't think Bergers' comments have much weight. wasn't he a liverpool discard afterall? barry may go, and if so he will be replaced. i think what may keep him at villa is what MON has done for him and his own faith in how the club have progressed. i actually think the move to liverpool might be a step down, seriously... they're in a bit of a mess and not that far up the table from villa anyway. bigger point here is barrys' agent, who is a fool, look what he did to alan smith.
from berger unsuccessful
from berger unsuccessful seasons in liverpool, he still has the faith that barry should go, now the 4411 formation is working quite well, even now the liverpool season is over, they still using the same formation, so obvious that Rafeal need another gerrard in the exact middle, as Marcherano and Xabi are more defensive player and i think barry is the best choise for that, no doubt about his ability of att and penalty taking skill, these what Liverpool desperate needed.
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