David Villa: Success or Failure?
Melbourne City’s signing of David Villa in the off-season on a ten-game guest contract set imaginations running wild in Australia’s football sphere. However, four games later he is already on his way to the United States with a sour taste left in the mouths of Melbourne City, and many A-League supporters, alike.
He leaves Melbourne with two A-League goals to his name, both of which earned his team a point, and with his reputation intact. But what he delivered individually cannot be separated with the effect he had on the team – a largely negative one.
There was an air of arrogance with which Villa walked into the Melbourne City set-up.
Arriving just days before City’s first fixture of the season, Villa landed in Melbourne carrying a few extra kilos, and obviously had forgotten to brush up on his English on the plane ride to Melbourne. All the little things count; and to die-hard fans the impression he gave was one of nonchalance.
His approached lacked respect and professionalism – it seemed almost as if he was embarrassed to wear the shirt.
At a Melbourne Derby, the crowd was booing Villa. Questioning why, I turned to my friend and proceeded to list the achievements of Villa’s career. World Cup winner. Two-time Euro winner. Champions League winner.
But the response I got was quite apt – ‘But he’s never won an A-League’, my friend told me.
It’s comical, but also oddly true. The way he moped about the field during his 4-game stint was not reflective of the brilliant player the accolades suggest.
Villa’s lax attitude left holes to fill all over the field, most notably at left-back. Iain Ramsay, winger-turned-left back struggled immensely with Villa ahead of him, as Villa neglected his defensive duties.
This was most notable in the Derby against Victory, as Kosta Barbarouses bombarded down City’s left-flank without being tracked by Villa, leaving him 1 on 1 with Ramsay all too often. This meant that the midfield spent more time covering Ramsay and Villa than actually doing their job, leading to a disruption of team structure.
Up forward, Villa bagged his two goals but didn’t offer much else. In all honesty, if he wasn’t such a big marquee he would have been criticised on more than one occasion for being a bit selfish in possession.
But on the field, is one thing, off the field is another.
As far as marketing is concerned, the Villa saga has become a double-edged sword. The initial signing of Villa was met with fanfare, a lot of membership sales, and a lot of shirt sales. Unfortunately, his premature departure has left many City fans feeling dejected. This, along with City’s poor start to the season, may derail the progress the club has seen in the stands with two back-to-back 13,000-plus attendances.
Now that the Spaniard is gone, and in my humble opinion unlikely to return, whether City supporters will turn out in these numbers for the rest of the season will be the next key indicator of the success or failure of the Villa experiment.
The poor handling of his departure is likely to turn some fans off, but surely the on-field performance of the team can only get better. As of yet, it’s impossible to judge whether the Villa experiment is truly a success.
For it to be a success, this team needs to turn its season around – FAST. A failure to do so will lead to a failure to consolidate the gains earned from signing the superstar Spaniard. The signing of Villa has arguably been a failure so far, but in 23 matches time City fans especially may look back on Villa’s tenure as a huge boost to the fledgling club.
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