Why aren't you Cup for it?

Why Martin O’Neill decided not to bring a full-strength squad to Moscow last Thursday for Aston Villa’s UEFA Cup tie still confuses me.

Never before have I questioned the man’s decision making, I believe he is one of the best in the business but not going out there to win was a massive mistake.

O’Neill wanted to concentrate on the league and their push for a Champions League spot but surely the chance to win a European trophy would be something an ambitious manager like him would want to take on?

And the rest that their top players got hasn’t seemed to help in their bid for fourth spot, in fact it may even have hindered them as a disappointing draw against Stoke on Saturday was followed up by a 2-0 defeat away at Manchester City tonight, which has allowed Arsenal to narrow the gap between them.

Villa are even off away on a break this weekend with no Premier League action due to the FA Cup ties taking place, which they have been eliminated so this makes it even more mind boggling that they sacrificied their UEFA Cup campaign.

I have never understood the problem about playing two games in a week anyways yet managers and players constantly complain about fatigue, even at the beginning of the season.

It’s 180 minutes of playing football, if a player is tired then why not just give him a break from training the next day? Maybe footballers should try some of the more rigorous training that other athletes endure then they would know what it’s really like to be tired.

Fair enough, Aston Villa’s squad has not got the depth that maybe Manchester United’s or Chelsea’s does but, in my opinion, if you don’t want to play in Europe, don’t bother qualifying.

So say if Villa do finish in the top four and manage to get through to the last-16 of the Champions League next season, and they are in a similar position in the Premier League, will they just send their reserves out like they did last Thursday?

O’Neill’s decision didn’t go down well with the Villa fans that paid out to travel all the way to Russia only to see a weakened team crash out of the UEFA cup, it’s a tough enough time financially so you can understand their disappointment.

I think O’Neill’s attitude to the competition proves that there is a waning interest and importance of the UEFA Cup for clubs like Aston Villa who are chasing the big money-spinner that is the Champions League.

Next season the UEFA Cup will change its name to the UEFA Europa League next and the competition is also to be extended but more games is not the answer when clubs are complaining that there schedules are too hectic.

The only way I can see this competition being revived and becoming more attractive is to offer a Champions League spot for the winners or maybe even both finalists.

Hopefully the spot in Europe’s most coveted competition and the extra financial incentive would make UEFA Europa League more attractive for the likes of Aston Villa as it is a good competition for the smaller teams who can’t match the financial powerhouses in England and on the continent but will the governing body realise this?