Carlos Cuellar is hoping to head Aston Villa in right direction
Dec 5 2009 by Mathew Kendrick, Birmingham Mail
CARLOS Cuellar is determined to get a-head in the Villa scoring stakes by nodding in more goals from set-pieces.
Cuellar converted six set-pieces with his trademark curls during his one and only season in Scotland with Rangers.
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And, after opening his account against Bolton last month, the Spaniard has set his sights on heading more Villa goals.
“I was really happy, both for myself and for our supporters,” said Cuellar.
“I think a lot of people had been waiting for my first goal for the club.
“Last season I didn’t manage to score so I was delighted to get one reasonably early this time.
“It was good for my confidence and now I want to try and score a few more.
“I almost got one early in the Bolton game when I flicked on the first corner from Ashley Young but Jussi Jaaskelainen made a good save.”
Cuellar’s half-a-dozen goals for his former club endeared him to the Ibrox faithful who were sorry to see him leave last year.
“I scored six goals for Rangers, all of them with headers from corners or free-kicks,” he recalled.
“When I was playing in the Second Division in Spain, I scored a few goals with my right foot but I don’t expect to do that too often at this level.
“I like to get forward whenever I can and if I can help the team in that way, that’s great.
“I would certainly like to score a goal at the Holte End.
“But my job is to stop the other team from scoring and I’m always pleased when we don’t concede a goal. That’s the main target.”
Cuellar has excelled since returning to his preferred position of centre-half in recent weeks because of an injury to James Collins.
But the 28-year-old is more concerned about being in a top-quality squad than fretting over which defensive role he is given.
“I’m happy to play anywhere, as long as I’m in the 11 players who start the game,” he added.
“It’s good for the club to have so much competition for places.
“It means that you have to train really hard and play really well to stay in the team.
“If you slip at all you are likely to lose your position.
“With so many players pressing for places it means you have to keep improving all the time. That has to be good for everyone.
“There’s a good spirit on the training ground and with so many top-class international players you really have to concentrate.
“There’s a lot of confidence in the squad and we are making good progress.
“We will be fighting for the top four and I think we have a squad who can do it.’’
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