While all Aston Villa (Aston Villa betting) fans are obviously delighted with the progress the team have made under Martin O’Neill, we are still waiting for the Villains to mount a serious top 4 challenge or win a major trophy. The long and anxious wait could be over by the end of the season as we are in the Carling Cup final, while still in the race for the Champions League place but there are certain areas that need improvement. I am a bit concerned about our lack of depth since that was the thing that cost us the top 4 place last term and I wouldn’t like to see it happen all over again.

There is no doubt we have one of the strongest starting 11s in the Premiership but Martin O’Neill would probably be pleased to have a couple of subs capable of changing the course of the match since we cannot really expect the likes of Milner, Young and Agbonlahor to play every single game at a very high level. By fielding the same starting line-up in almost every game, the team do become more compact and the players develop mutual understanding but the problem arises when one of the starters picks up an injury or suspension and the back-up player who hasn’t played a competitive match for a month need to step in.

At the moment, we have a good cover for Brad Friedel in Brad Guzan but with the latter set to become the first choice once the former retires, we will need a new keeper. If Wilfred Bouma and Curtis Davies recover any time soon, we will have a decent back up for the back line, although another centre-back, preferably capable of playing on the left as well would be a very good addition to the squad.

O’Neill has got a decent cover for the centre of the park in Delph, Reo-Coker and Sidwell, although the gaffer needs to use them more often if he wants them to make real impact. We are a bit thin on the wings, even though Milner can switch to the flank should Young or Downing miss out, while I would also like to see young Marc Albrighton used more often.

With Carew and Heskey acting mostly as target men, Gabriel Agbonlahor is our main attacking outlet and he could use a time off every once in a while. Nathan Delfouneso has shown a massive potential but he’s got to be given a chance in the Premier League as well since let’s not forget Gabriel Agbonlahor would never have become a player he is now if he hadn’t been given the chance to impress despite his fragile age.