Why James Milner and Aston Villa Need Each Other

Over the past few days, speculation has heated up dramatically over the future of Aston Villa and England star James Milner.

After resisting the £24 million overtures of world football giants Manchester United a few months back, it's now the turn of their city rivals to really up the ante and properly try to lure Milner to the delights of Manchester.

Mega rich vultures Manchester City are currently trying to land the Villa playmaker, with manager Roberto Mancini leaving this one to the moneymen while he tries to persuade good friend Mario Balotelli (or 'Super Mario' as they call him in non-racist parts of Italy) to ditch Inter Milan and join Jerome Boateng, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Aleksandar Kolarov at world football's most omnipotent juggernaut.

Whilst Milner may have returned to training today at Villa's Bodymoor Heath training complex, his well documented future is still well and truly up in the air, with a move to England's version of Real Madrid very much on the cards.

However, a move to Manchester City for James Milner could actually be quite deleterious to his career, despite the massive pay rise he would receive should he make the switch to Eastlands.

And of course for Aston Villa, no massive figure swelling up their bank account would currently be able to fully heal the wound of a James Milner departure.

Why Aston Villa Need James Milner

It's clear why Aston Villa really don't want to let James Milner leave the club.

Starting with his place in the team, this playmaker effectively is the team; whatever way one analyses it, the Villa team is built around Milner.

He is that attacking midfielder which holds the key to every single goalscoring opportunity Aston Villa have on the pitch.

The England international is there in the middle of the park to receive the ball and create chances. He has his wingers cutting behind defences to make space so he can either pass or have time to shoot. He has his strikers making darting runs past centre-backs or cutting in for the short option and he even has his full-backs coming forward to give him passing options, as well as his midfield partner.

The centre-backs, and his midfield partner, are on guard should Milner lose the ball, as the whole team works around this midfield maestro.

It's such a tactical formula using Milner as the team's lynchpin that saw Aston Villa beat Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea last season in the Premier League, finish sixth, ahead of Liverpool, reach the FA Cup semifinals and the final of the Carling Cup, as well as be involved in the reckoning for a place in the UEFA Champions League, proving just how high the ambition and success of this club is.

For those achievements to continue and develop, the Villans need to keep hold of a man who is the same as what Cesc Fabregas is to Arsenal, i.e. the inspirational star of the team.

Psychologically, Milner is more to his teammates than just 12 goals and 15 assists a season; he's the man they look to for a pass, for an option, for a chance to score, to lead the team forward and win matches.

His importance to Villa is massive, recognised by the glowing praise he has received from teammates such as Luke Young, Stewart Downing, Carlos Cuellar, Ashley Young, Emile Heskey, John Carew, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stiliyan Petrov, and, of course, from manager Martin O'Neill.

A PFA Young Player of the Year award, won ahead of Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas, also proves his worth, as well as the reported £30 million price tag placed on him.

For Aston Villa to lose Milner, not only would it massively disrupt the equilibrium of the team and severely dent their chances of glory, but it would also mean a replacement has to be found.

And as O'Neill recognises, that's going to be a very tough task. The Villa boss said, "If we do end up losing a player like Milner, it won't make it easier.

"You have to replace him, replace his ability and experience, and do it instantly yet do it with someone of probably less value. That is tough."

So simply put, Aston Villa need James Milner.

Why James Milner Needs Aston Villa

James Milner could leave Birmingham and his club Aston Villa tomorrow, head up to Manchester and sign a contract with Manchester City earning many more millions than he ever dreamed of as a child.

He could get the biggest and best house he wants, get all the fast cars he fantasised about, get any girl he fancies, and have the money constantly strolling into his bank account.

But if he moved to Eastlands, the one main thing he simply won't get is regular first-team football.

Milner doesn't tactically fit straight into City's preferred line-up, either in his playmaker role or as a winger, and so would be relegated down Mancini's midfield pecking order, with the likes of Gareth Barry, Nigel De Jong, Yaya Toure, Patrick Vieira, Stephen Ireland and Michael Johnson all waiting in queue for those places in central midfield.

And if Milner decided to be a winger again, he'd have proven wing wizards David Silva, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Adam Johnson and Craig Bellamy all telling him to piss off and wait in line.

Unlike at Aston Villa, he won't get the attention his talent deserves, and will be sitting on the bench before a most likely unimpressed England manager in Fabio Capello, putting paid to his international career ambitions.

At Villa, Milner has the love and attention every footballer wants in his team, with all his colleagues effectively working around him on that pitch.

He'd have none of that at City, and due to their tactical formation wouldn't be able to play in that playmaker role he prefers and excels in.

And finally, he'd wouldn't receive anywhere near as much attention from the City faithful. To them, he'd just be another new player, and not even a World Cup winner like David Silva, a World Cup hero like Carlos Tevez, a legend in Patrick Vieira, and he wouldn't even be a regular starter like Kolo Toure or Shay Given.

Would he really be worth putting on the back of a Manchester City jersey? Probably not.

At Aston Villa however, he sure would be. Unlike City, Villa is a club where James Milner will continue to gain all the intrinsic rewards that come with playing football, as well as all the non-tangible extrinsic ones.

He'll get praise, respect, love, and a whole team pretty much working for him at Aston Villa, as well as the stage he needs to impress Capello and really kick on with his England career.

At Manchester City, he'll get all the money he wants, and a permanent place on the bench. That's it.