The thrilling race for Champions League qualification will have plenty more surprises left in store but one thing is almost certain – Aston Villa will no longer be part of it.

Unfortunately the old curse of crumbling at the vital stage of the season has struck again and their 7-1 hammering at Stamford Bridge exposed the lack of confidence and belief in themselves.

 

But the frustrating thing from Villa’s point of view is that they haven’t learned from last season’s exploits when they ran Arsenal close for fourth for much of the campaign.

Instead of kicking on from that experience they still look like a club with so much potential but ultimately too afraid of the next step.

It’s easy to get the impression that Villa manager Martin O’Neill pays far too much respect to their rivals, notably Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool, and doesn’t truly believe his side is capable of finishing above them. This is reflected in the signings he’s made over the last couple of seasons.

Stewart Downing, Emile Heskey, Luke Young and Stephen Warnock to name but a few are solid but uninspiring additions that will help consolidate a top six place – but they won’t help the club break into the top four.

Compare O’Neill’s signings to that of Harry Redknapp. Tottenham are far from guaranteed fourth and could yet end up on the brink before crumbling as well but they stand a far greater chance of making it and this is partly due to Redkanpp’s astuteness in the transfer market.

Look at Niko Kranjcar for example. The Croatian may not be outstanding, but he is technically gifted and his craft can be the difference in a tight game. He cost the White Hart Lane boss a paltry £2m yet O’Neill spent £12m on Downing. This sums up both managers in a nutshell.

As a man-manager however O’Neill is one of the best in the League and if he only had a bit more ambition and sense with his wheeling and dealing they would be the ones on the verge of fourth, not Spurs.