Lucky Laursen leads a charmed life

Aug 11 2007 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

MARTIN Laursen says his friendship with Olof Mell-berg off the pitch and their almost telepathic partnership on the park can help snuff out Liverpool and help maintain his incredible unbeaten run in a Villa shirt.

Laursen has become something of a charm. Not since May 2005, ironically at Anfield, has he suffered defeat in the league with Villa. The former AC Milan defender started 12 league matches last season winning five and drawing seven.

Laursen also played as a late substitute in the opening day draw at Arsenal.

In fact, Laursen's only defeat came at Chelsea in the Carling Cup (0-4) in November when he was injured with the score at 0-1 and was replaced at the break.

"I was pleased to read that statistic," he said. "Olof and myself have become very good friends off the pitch.

"I speak Danish, he speaks Swedish, and we can both understand one another, we get on well together. We are all glad to play together and share good times off the pitch, and if you can bring that onto the pitch it obviously helps a lot."

The success of the Mellberg-Laursen partnership is not lost on Martin O'Neill, but the manager has had to attempt to build for the future by adding Albion's Curtis Davies to his ranks because he fears Laursen will simply not be able to last a whole season without injury.

And Laursen, who scored Villa's second goal in their 3-0 Inter romp, believes Villa must strengthen to mount a charge.

"We have shown we are ready to play now with this squad. In the long term, as we showed last season, we are short of players and everybody knows it.

He took the rumours about Davies in his stride: "If he comes in, then it happens.

"And at the moment you would have to say that he would have a hard job to go straight into the side."