Despite the obvious relegation woes, to say that Aston Villa’s season has been completely despondent would be slightly misleading. One light in a particularly dark season at Villa Park has been the revelation of forward Christian Benteke, the Villains’ summer signing from Belgian Pro League side KRC Genk. Acquired for the (retrospectively) bargain price of £7million, Benteke has entered some exemplary performances for Villa this season, scoring decisive goals in vital wins over the likes of Reading, West Ham and QPR in the process. Mat Kendrick, specialist Villa writer for the Birmingham Mail, is even touting Benteke, the man whose fine form is keeping Darren Bent firmly on the bench, to match club legend Peter Withe’s 1981 record goal haul of 20 in a single season.
Whilst his goals are the most important aspect of his game, it is Benteke’s presence within the team that has seemingly made the biggest impact. He has, at times, quite literally dragged the best out of a frequently average Villa side in his first year at the club, with the highly impressive victory over Liverpool at Anfield in December acting as a key example of Benteke’s influence. The Belgian’s form against Brendan Rodgers’ team was almost unplayable, with Benteke scoring twice and assisting Andreas Weimann in stunning The Kop fans with a comfortable 3-1 win. If Villa do indeed manage to avoid relegation come May, Lambert and co. may look back on such games as the performances that saved a season.
Although Christian Benteke has been a morale-boosting presence over an extremely trying period for the club and the fans, some serious doubts have been cast over his future at Aston Villa. Recent reports have claimed that his value has more than tripled over the previous 12 months (Paul Lambert has, according to BBC Sport, placed a £25million tag on the striker) and Arsenal, Tottenham and Inter Milan are known to be keen admirers.
In light of this, conflicting messages have come out of the Benteke camp, with the player himself insisting on staying at Villa Park regardless of the team’s finishing league position, whilst his agent Kismet Eris has previously told The Guardian that Benteke may well “take the step up to the next level” over the summer period. Ultimately, the ambiguity surrounding Benteke’s future is symbolic of the type of season that Villa has suffered – abundantly frustrating and irritatingly uncertain.
At this point, it is tough task to see the direction in which Aston Villa, as a club, is headed.
Strikingly similar to the fatal 2008/09 campaign of Newcastle United in which many believed they were “too good to go down”, this season has left Villa teetering dangerously close to the edge. In truth, relegation, as with any club, would be a disastrous worst case scenario, and would most likely lead to a summer exodus for a number of players (Darren Bent, Richard Dunne etc.), and could in fact be the determining factor in the future of the talismanic Christian Benteke.
An instant return to the Premier League would be a possibility for Villa, but not a certainty by any means, as the recent plights of Wolves and Blackburn (both teams at a very serious risk of relegation from the Championship) have proven that any team can drop out of England’s top-flight one season, and find themselves struggling to cope in the second-tier the next.
Conversely, ensuring that they play Premier League football next season would be a massive step forward for the club. Another season in the top-flight would gift the youngsters another opportunity to prove themselves on football’s grandest stage, and the harsh experiences of the current campaign could be used as a powerful learning curve. Despite this, additions to the squad (and extensions to the contracts of Benteke, Weimann, etc.) must be made for the team to improve, and it is imperative that Paul Lambert injects the side with the dose of experience that has been notably absent over the previous year. The repeated rumblings of a potential move for Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott and Mathieu Flamini of AC Milan are encouraging, as players of such quality and knowledge would add the depth to a squad that has, essentially, spent most of the season threadbare.
With the recent victory over Stoke at the Britannia and the continued woes of close relegation rivals Wigan, it appears that Villa have given themselves a most important of lifelines. The final day of the season will see Lambert and his team travel to the DW Stadium to take on the kings of Premier League survival, and that could be the deciding day in a season that has left a lot to be desired. However, even if Villa’s EPL status is secured, a much larger picture needs to be addressed. The ship needs to be steadied, as everyone from the faithful sitting in the Holte End to chairman Randy Lerner is well aware.
The feeling within Villa Park now seems to be clear – this remainder of the current season is effectively a case of damage limitation before the rebuilding process can begin. This summer is massive for the claret and blue side of Birmingham, and if Lambert and his Lions do indeed pull off “the great escape”, then the 2013/14 season may see the beginnings of a rejuvenated Aston Villa.
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Matt Squires is a contributor to This is Futbol, and covers other sports for websites such as Bleacher Report. For more on Matt, please visit his personal website Matthew T Squires.
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