Aston Villa’s commanding performance at Liverpool this week was partly down to the Anfield club’s current frailties but it also illustrated the strengths of Martin O’Neill’s side when they get it right.

Strength, aggression, a fighting spirit and quality when it mattered was evident and the boos that reverberated around Villa Park after an unconvincing display against Wigan on the season’s opening day were silenced by the assurance and conviction of Villa’s deserved victory on Merseyside.     They controlled the first half and although they came under pressure for a 20 minute spell in the second period, the away side kept Liverpool at arms-length.   It was their second victory at a big four club in just under a year and shows that on their day, Villa can give anyone a game.

But the test for Villa is whether they have the strength in their squad to maintain that level of performance on a regular basis, and whether they have enough match winners to bail them out when they’re having an off day.

A squad short in numbers can be hampered by Europa League progress, and despite the argument about building momentum and confidence, is a poison chalice for a club with aspirations to break into the top four.

In the days when it was just the champions that qualified for the European Cup and second placed teams went into the Uefa Cup, it was a fine tournament with great sides but now it is poorly structured and saturated with too many teams and too many games.

Most top sides wouldn’t want to compete in it, as it would act as a reminder of their failure to qualify for the Champions League or progress beyond the group stages.

Winning last season’s Uefa Cup didn’t exactly do Shakhter Donetsk any favours did it?

O’Neill caused uproar by fielding a weakened team away to CSKA Moscow last season, and though the timing wasn’t ideal with hundreds of fans having made the trip you could see the manager’s logic.

It’s a problem that can be remedied with an early exit because Villa, as wins at Anfield and the Emirates inside the last 12 months testify, should be aiming higher.