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Aston Villa: 2010 Team Preview | Odds

Matt Martz weighs in with Barclays Premier League 2010 futures betting article on Aston Villa. With back-to-back sixth place finishes on the 2008 and 2009 English Premier table, Aston Villa qualified for a second consecutive Europa League spot…

English Premier League – Aston Villa 2010 Preview

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Odds to win the 2010-11 Premiership outright: 150/1

With back-to-back sixth place finishes on the 2008 and 2009 English Premier table, Aston Villa qualified for a second consecutive Europa League spot, appeared in the FA Cup semi-finals, and were League Cup runners-up.

All in all an acceptable conclusion to a top-flight campaign. So why did manager Martin O’Neill decide to leave Aston Villa in an tremendously shocking move just five days before the start of the 2010-11 season?

It’s still unclear, but sources indicate that O’Neill may have stayed at Villa Park if the club’s ownership had not been based in the United States.

The 58-year-old altered the riches of Villa after replacing David O’Leary in August 2006, with three consecutive sixth-place finishes and an appearance in the final of last season’s Carling Cup, their first Wembley final for 10 years.
This move certainly will have a major impact on Aston Villa as they prepare to start this season, as the side will need to get off to a strong start with a not-so-strong fixture list at the beginning of the season. Bet on Soccer at Sportsbook.com

Caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald looks to be in charge of the Villans at the moment, but that could easily change with former England boss Sven Goran Erikkson, former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann, and USA manager Bob Bradley all in the running to take over.

But more important Villans departures are looming on the horizon as midfielder James Milner, the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year, could be fulfilling his ambitions at Manchester City by sometime next week after boss Roberto Mancini revealed a deal was close.

For the second year in succession, the endless supply of City’s wealth has come calling for Villa’s best player and they expect money to talk – as it did when Gareth Barry moved to Eastlands just 12 months ago.

Milner, who is regarded as one of the great hopes for England’s future, contributed seven goals and 12 assists in last year’s Premier League run. If he leaves it would be a crushing blow to the Villans.

With Miner’s certain exit, Villa will need to rely on stars like Ashley Young, John Carew, 2009 leading scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor (13 goals), and the ageless acrobatics of veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

The 39-year old US-born keeper was one of the major keys to Villa’s success last season and enters the 2010-11 season having started in a record 226 consecutive Premier League matches, while registering 15 clean sheets between the sticks last season.

The Villans put together a solid season beating the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, tallying 52 goals while conceding a 4th best 39.

Aston Villa 2010 Prediction: Aston Villa climbed all the way to third on the table in early 2009, and appeared poised to knock Arsenal out of a Champions League birth before they collapsed and finished sixth.

Despite the recent managerial turmoil, I look for the Villans to once again place in the top third of the English Premier table with another run at making the Europa League season.

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Matt Martz is a sportswriter for the Bakersfield Californian located in Central California. “ Football (soccer) is a game in which a handful of fit men run around for one and a half hours watched by millions of people who could really use the exercise.”