Aston Villa's strengths are well known - Atkins

Nov 10 2007 By Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

ASTON Villa's modus operandi is not hard to fathom under Martin O'Neill, claimed Ian Atkins.

Blues have got to be prepared to stand up to the physical challenge, and negate the pace of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

"All Martin's teams are difficult to play against," said Atkins, the former Blues captain and promotion-winning coach. "He's always liked a big, strong side, generally with three centre-halves.

"At Villa he's got Laursen and Knight in the middle, Mellberg at right-back and Bouma - who is as good as any I have seen in that position in the Premier League this season by the way - at left-back.

"Really, they've got four centre-halves across the back and Villa are not exactly going to be gung-ho, but they rely on the pace out wide in Young and Agbonlahor.

"Those two give them a 'get out', they can run and travel with the ball and get crosses in.

"I've watched Villa quite a bit and I think they are less effective when Petrov and Carew are in the team. But, generally, they are powerful and at corners and free-kicks I am concerned for Blues.

"It's always been a feature of Martin's teams - whether Wycombe, Leicester, Celtic - that they score a lot from set-pieces and Villa are showing signs of becoming very good in that department."