Three points and UEFA qualification a must, says Martin O'Neill
Sep 25 2008 By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail
MARTIN O’Neill today targeted three points against Sunderland and insisted Villa must now guarantee their qualification for the group stages of the UEFA Cup after seeing their Carling Cup dreams.
Last night’s QPR defeat, in front of 21,000 fans, came as a huge blow as O’Neill had real designs on progessing to the latter stages.
The manager will bring back skipper Martin Laursen, Curtis Davies, Nigel Reo-Coker, Gabby Agbonlahor, Luke Young and Brad Friedel against Roy Keane’s men as they attempt to build on their top-four start.
“We have to bounce back. Saturday is a big game. It was a big game anyway. The Premiership is the Holy Grail,’’ said O’Neill.
“Every point that is won and lost goes towards the tape where you finish at the end of the season.
“Therefore every point won and lost stacks up. From that viewpoint we are in really good form at the moment.”
O’Neill says QPR boss Iain Dowie may have been a little hasty in backing Villa for a top-four League finish.
He says his side now have to be focused on completing the job against Litex Lovech next week.
“You can be over complimentary when you have won a game. It is nice of Iain to say but it was a setback,’’ said O’Neill.
“It was a competition that we wanted to progress in.
“We tried to get the squad so that we are capable.
“What we want to do now that we are out if the Carling Cup is make sure we are playing in the group stages of the UEFA Cup.
“This will make us even more determined to get there. We have to get right for that.”
O’Neill was not prepared to blame fatigue.
He added: “It was our fourth game in nine days and Saturday will be our fifth in 12 – it does take its toll, whatever you say.
“But that was not the reason we lost last night.
“It’s a wasted opportunity. We have tried to build a squad to be able to cope with the games but it wasn’t tiredness that set us back. We just couldn’t score and they took the chance that was presented to them,
“It’s hugely disappointing of course but unlike last year, when I felt we didn’t really do enough against Leicester, this time we have created the chances and it’s hard to analyse it any other way.”
