As the season has reached the halfway point we thought it would be good to tally up the weekly star player points to see who has been the Aston villa Star Players at the half-way point of the season. The below results are up to and include Villa’s 19th league game of the season against Sunderland.
Overview
It has been an up and down 19 games for the claret and blue following a promising start to the season, which saw the team building momentum for an apparent title challenge. Unfortunately, this assault on the title dropped off after a mere four games and swiftly evaporated into relegation scrap form.
The team now finds themselves in limbo, a lot like the club itself, with a couple of victories potentially taking us up to mid-table mediocrity, while another string of losses could plummet us into a relegation battle.
The Person or people in this case, who has to ‘Pick Themselves Up and Go Again’ in the second half of the season is the Villa board who have picked up the award twice so far this term. It is a big January coming up for the board that are still unable to find a buyer for the club after seven months of being on the market.
Tom Fox has come out and said he is sitting down with Villa stars Delph and Vlaar over the next few days. If he can persuade these two to sign new contracts it would be a massive statement of intent and would show the chief executive is not just talk.
Secondly, it will be interesting to see how the board approach the transfer window and whether proper improvements will be made to the squad. It is clear (as it always has been over the past few transfer windows) that the team need reinforcements in attacking areas, which won’t come too cheap. Will Lerner give Lambert money to spend like with the transfer of Sanchez or will the loan market be utilised?
Finally, what will be the final decision be regarding Tom Cleverley and whether the board will secure up his services in January, or chance getting him on a free at the end of the season?
Aston Villa Star Players Half-Way Through the 2014/15 Season
When reviewing the ‘Star Player’ points* totals at the halfway point of the season, it is clear to see how much Villa had been struggling going forward when the points are added up for each position:
Defenders – 64
Midfielders – 47
Attackers – 24
This was obviously not surprising coming from a team that has scored the fewest goals in the Premier league this season and has had the least shots on target.
On a positive note though it is an even bigger compliment to the defence, for the team to amass 21 points so far with scoring just 11 goals is testimony to the great work being done at the back.
* – The player of the week gets 5pts, the 2nd best gets 3pts and the 3rd, 1pt
Here are the top five performers so far this season for Aston Villa:
Aston Villa Players of the Season so far in 2014/15
5th Place – Ciaran Clark (11pts)
It has been a brilliant season so far for Clark who has enjoyed a long run in the side and has performed excellently, especially alongside Jores Okore. His confidence has grown substantially and is really looking like a very good central defender.
4th Place Gabby Agbonlahor (12pts)
It will come to a shock to many that the long-term Villa player has made the top five. However, as frustrating as he can be to watch, Villa really does miss him when he is not in the team. His ability to run in behind defences and stretch games gives Villa another dimension going forward. He links well with Benteke and his pace and power still frightens teams. Consistency is still lacking, but still a good asset to have in the team.
3rd Place Aly Cissokho (13pts)
The Frenchman has turned out to be a good signing from Paul Lambert who was third time lucky in finding a decent left-back. The mammoth full-back has provided solidity down the left hand side and has been a decent outlet going forward. The game at home to Newcastle, where Pardew had to put Moussa Sissoko on the right to try and stifle the onrushing Cissokho who was causing havoc down that side, typified the French international this season.
2nd Place Alan Hutton (15pts)
The flying Scotsman has been many people’s player of the season so far, which is a stark contrast to what most thought about him at the start of the season. Arguably, the most consistent performer for the claret and blue this term, Hutton has been nothing short than sensational outstanding. The ex-bomb squad member has defended well all season (even with N’zogbia in front of him) and has provided a constant attacking threat on the overlap. What has been more amazing has been his hunger and fight for a team and a manager that effectively exiled him for two years. It is a true testament to the character of the Scotsman, and god are we thankful.
1st Place Carlos Sanchez (16pts)
The Columbian international has slowly become one of the most loved players amongst Villa fans with his great afro and calmness on the ball. The type of midfielder the Villa have lacked for years with the ability to dominate in the air and break up attacks. But he is not just a defensive rock. He has great control and vision and his range of passing is exceptional. He can sometimes panic fans with his relaxed manner but this is just his South American style. As he has grown in confidence and got up to speed with the Premier League, Sanchez has started to dominate games and dictate the tempo himself. He will continue to grow as he continues to adapt and we will have a seriously good player on our hands.
UTV
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Gabby? You have got to be kidding me!! Guzan should have been number 4. Otherwise, I completely agree. Grealish would be on the list too if Lambert had the bottle to start him.
finflo,,, i know it sounds daft but if he did go we have the basis of a good side
and i still think a couple of signing could turn the season into a pretty good one
but watching villa play defensive or lower league teams is just depressing
we dont expect to win every game, and i realise sometimes a team finds a certain type of team
hard to beat but you have to try different tactics if its not working,,,
i would say our best players have been hutton and clarke, closely followed by okore
they have all won there own personal battles and made such an impact
and credit to baker and sanchez who have both looked good,
if only we can sort out the last third,,,,,
Sanchez ,lambo you did well for once
Still want you out
I’m sorry but Lambert has made many decent signings… Benteke, Kozak, Vlaar, Okore, Sanchez, Westwood. He has made some ones that haven’t come off as of yet, but saying ‘for once’ is highly unfair. Not excusing many of his mistakes, but bad signings are made by every managers, good signings like Benteke are not.