Martin O'Neill Despairs As Manchester City Head out of Sight

Aston Villa are as far away from becoming a top four club as they ever have been according to manager Martin O'Neill.

When owner Randy Lerner took over the club, the pair of them agreed to target Champions League qualification as a short to mid-term goal. At the time, it looked like the side would have to replace one of Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea to do so, but just a few seasons later things are very different, as the latest Premier League odds show.

"Just when you think your team is getting there, getting close to fourth spot, Manchester City appear on the horizon with all this money. It seems to be getting further away," O'Neill said.

He went on to congratulate Spurs for securing fourth last season, and added he still believes finishing in a Champions League spot is a "possibility" for his side.

However, one of the biggest problems O'Neill faces is his club's relative lack of spending power. A couple of seasons ago, Garth Barry was courted by Liverpool and then Manchester City, eventually leaving to join the latter.

Now, James Milner looks set to be on his way out and Villa do seem to have a problem holding on to their most talented players. Even though City are currently unable to offer Champions League football, they can offer almost endless amounts of cash and that seems to make a lot of difference.

Of course, it's not all about the money. City's cash makes them an attractive proposition for another reason - the fact they can afford to bring in several of the world's best players means they will win trophies sooner or later and this is very attractive, especially as the best football predictions hint this could be City's year.

So that's what O'Neill's Villa have to deal with and it seems unlikely he will be able to do so directly. It's going to take a lot of nous and a large slice of luck if the Midlands club are going to achieve their target.