It’s taken eight months, but I’ve finally soured on Curtis Davies. In that, I suppose I’m no different than the manager. Had both of us—particularly him—lost faith in him four months sooner, Aston Villa might have bolstered their defense in January and avoided the swoon they now find themselves in. Hindsight is wonderful, isn’t it?
When Davies was patrolling the backline at West Bromwich Albion, I used to wonder why big clubs didn’t seem serious about signing him. And when Martin O’Neill finally came calling, I felt it was eight million quid well spent. I was wrong.
This isn’t to say that Davies isn’t a decent defender. He’s serviceable, I suppose. And at 24-years-of-age, there’s plenty of time for him to realize his potential. It could be worse, after all. He could be Titus Bramble, or even Zat Knight.
Ah yes, Zat Knight. He of the two England caps that not even Davies can boast. Has there ever been a worse defender in the national side?
At 6-foot-6, I can see why he’s been given countless chances to prove his worth. Only he hasn’t got any. He’s barely useful in the air, and he gets turned more often than pages in a phone book.
O’Neill spent almost 12 million pounds on Davies and Knight. Enough, you might say, for Carlos Puyol’s right leg. Give me the right leg.
Villa’s impressive run of matches from November to January was played—in large part—with a 4-5-1 formation. The extra presence in front of the back four shielded a much over-rated—and perhaps mediocre—defensive corps. It’s no coincidence that the sudden shift to a 4-4-2 setup has resulted in a deluge of goals against.
It’s also no coincidence that Martin Laursen’s season-ending injury spelt the end of Villa’s Champions’ League ambitions. Already forced to operate with two strikers to justify the signing of Emile Heskey, O’Neill was forced to draft in one of Davies and Knight alongside Carlos Cuellar.
Neither was up to it. And without the previously effective tandem of Steve Sidwell and Stilyan Petrov protecting them, their shortcomings were quickly brought to light.
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Comments
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Posted by Adam on 04/23/2009
I couldn't agree more with the comments about Zat Knight, everytime i watch villa and see his name on the team sheet i know it is up to Brad Friedel to keep us in the game. Curtis Davies appeared to be a much better player alongside Martin Laursen as his apprentice, but since his departure has seemed to struggle with the added responsibility. I think it is fair to say that Aston Villa's champions league ambitions have been squandered by the centre halves, Zat Knight and Curtis Davies.
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Posted by Tom on 04/24/2009
I think it is unfair to blame the centre halves for Villa's failed Champions League pursuit. I agree though that since Laursen was injured, our defence always look vulnerable. Davies was playing so much better alongside Laursen than he is now - to the point that now I think Knight should play instead. I don't think Knight is as bad as you suggested. In the games that he played in, he played quite well - and even during those games he got criticised when his partner played worst. I am yet to be convinced about Cuellar - he is not the quickest and is not that good in the air although he has great tackling skills and is a smart player.
Our downfall rather is playing 4-4-2 when we are not ready. To play that, we needed two great centre-backs in order to give confidence to the players upfront. Plus, 4-4-2 doesn't allow us to play to our comparative advantage - ie, speed on the counter. What a shame that MON didn't want us to be known to be a counter-attacking team.
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Kevin Hughes spent the best part of ten years working and writing for the football magazine Match; once (sort of) inspiring David Beckham to copy his shaved-hair look, getting lost in Paris after the 1998 France v Croatia World Cup semi-final and other such nonsense. As Deputy Editor, he launched and established Sport, the London-based free weekly magazine, before moving on to become a consumer magazine publisher, a position he holds today. Introduced to Villa by his father and grandfather, he attended his first ever match at Villa Park as a seven-year-old in 1982… and has suffered almost constant disappointment since. You can follow him on twitter @KevHughesie
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