Aston Villa and the Champions League: Attack into It, Not Defend

Following a 0-0 draw away at Stoke City, Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill was quick to praise yet another never-say-die defensive showing that once again kept a brilliant clean sheet.

Both acquired in the summer, Richard Dunne and James Collins have been praised to the high heavens by the Aston Villa manager, backroom staff, local Birmingham media, as well as by all the football journalists around the UK, and of course by the pundits on television.

They all praise the colossal impact Dunne, Collins, Carlos Cuellar, Luke Young, Stephen Warnock, and goalkeeper Brad Friedel have had in helping Villa achieve a Carling Cup Final appearance, a place at Wembley for an FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea and the team's place in the hot race for the UEFA Champions League.

But what they often overlook is what the many die-hard fans in the stands at Villa Park have realised all along.

Aston Villa cannot defend their way to glory and onstead need to attack that fourth Champions League place. As the cliché saying goes, attack is the best form of defence.

Whilst the solid draw at the Britannia Stadium highlighted Villa's callous defence, it also emphasised a far more damning realisation: Villa's goal threat leaves little to be desired.

Here's a statistic for you: To date in the 2009/10 season, Aston Villa have scored only 37 goals at an average 1.37 goals per game.

Compare that to the 2007/08 season, where the Villans scored an impressive 71 goals at a very good average of 1.87 goals per game.

Remove Villa's five goal demolitions against Burnley and Bolton Wanderers from the equation this season, and they have a lowly average of scoring only 1.08 goals per game.

The most alarming thing for the fans is that Aston Villa's brilliant defensive performances could well be going to waste, and the manager perhaps is failing to realise it.

Why? Because Villa had the same attacking talent back in 2007/08 as they do now, with the very same players scoring more goals last season and the season before than they have done now.

And looking at the strikers, it's clear who the weak link is.

Gabriel Agbonlahor in the 2007/08 season played 37 matches, scoring 11 goals. In the 2008/09 season, he made 36 appearances and scored 12 goals. And to date in the 2009/10 season, thus far he's featured in 26 games with a return of 11 goals.

So clearly, star striker and England hopeful Agbonlahor isn't at fault, with an ever improving goal tally suggesting it's surely not long before he can fully push past his demoralising critics. 

Next we turn to the baffling case of John Carew, who has hardly featured this season in the Premier League apart from substitute showings.

For the Norwegian hero who has delivered this season a total so far of 11 goals in 29 games in all competitions, he evidently is also not that much at fault for Aston Villa's attacking demise.

Therefore, there's only one man who is at fault, and that's the weakest link himself, the strange favourite of Fabio Capello that is Emile Heskey.

A ridiculous total of five goals from 33 appearances this season (three of which are in the Premier League, whereas Carew has scored four league goals) is quite frankly laughable.

There's the old age argument that Heskey's job is more to set up goals with his domineering strength and terrific aerial ability, but just one Premier League assist from 27 matches in no way vindicates such a ludicrous statement.

Of course, the Aston Villa attacking conundrum is not completely the fault of Emile Heskey, and blame can also be pinned upon the service of delivery into the box provided by Ashley Young and Stewart Downing this season, so read into their stats what you wish.

But one must wonder, for how much longer can Emile Heskey remain an England favourite, let alone a regular starter for Aston Villa?

As Aston Villa need to show a greater goal threat to complement stunning showings by their defenders, surely it's only a matter of time before Carew replaces Heskey in the lineup.

In any case, unless the goal tally can pick up soon, it seems the Villans might not be so much in the race for the UEFA Champions League as many people predicted.

Perhaps a free scoring, marquee striker for next season can finally put an end to their goal-scoring misery, and highlight the ambition Aston Villa Football Club ought to have; reaching the elusive Champions League and beyond.