Rolando Bianchi’s fluency is reaping its rewards
Aston Villa 1 Man City 1
Tom Dart at Villa Park
Elbowing your way through the high street crush for presents, the idea that hell is other people holds special appeal at this time of year. Yet Saturday at Villa Park was the perfect antidote to such grousing: a match rich in community spirit. Both sides played with the sort of unity and purpose forged only through teamwork and trust in a manager’s vision. For Aston Villa, that meant unrelenting faith in their energetic, direct, attacking game plan; Manchester City’s players toiled as one to contain their exuberant opponents.
Rolando Bianchi scored his third Barclays Premier League goal in as many games. Signed for £8.8 million from Reggina in the summer, the fee appeared to say more about the Italian club’s ability to exploit the wealth of City’s owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, than the player’s talent. Bianchi had made so little imprint that he was linked with a swift return to Serie A.
Hell is English football? Not any more. Bianchi did little but poke in Martin Petrov’s perfect left-wing cross, but the winger’s moment of excellence was the difference between an indifferent day for Bianchi and a good one. Help is other people.
“It has been difficult since I joined but with my teammates’ help I can score goals and it is becoming easier for me,” Bianchi said. “Now I play a lot and it’s good for my confidence. I feel sharp and know I can do well here.”
The 24-year-old has four league goals in five starts and nine substitute appearances. Sven-Göran Eriksson, the City manager, blamed himself for Bianchi’s slow progress. “He had a difficult time, I don’t think he settled in that well – because of me, I didn’t play him,” Eriksson said. “But he’s mentally strong. He’s hungry and keen to be successful in England.”
Bianchi does not know Fabio Capello, but he knows the process his fellow Italian, the new England manager, is going through. “I have an English teacher and she speaks with me all the time, which makes learning the language much easier,” the striker said.
“Fabio wants to learn English in one month and I’m sure he can do it. In two months I learnt to speak a little. Now I am better and more confident, but hopefully soon I will be fluent. I watch films with the subtitles on. I also watch a lot of television, especially the sporting programmes. Now it’s better because I can speak with my teammates. Before it was very difficult because I could not communicate.”
While the goal was everything for Bianchi, John Carew not only scored, but was consistently excellent for Villa. The Norway striker outmuscled Micah Richards and outpaced Richard Dunne. “He was unplayable against two of the best defenders in the country,” Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, said. “He’s missed a chunk of the season and he’s getting fitter.”
Three minutes after Bianchi’s eleventh-minute goal, Carew’s solo run and shot drew Villa level. They then dominated and would have scored if they had been a little less obvious and more composed in the area.
Given City’s poor away record, Eriksson was content with a point. His team possess a latent deviousness, an implicit ability to conjure a goal from nothing even when the overall performance is lukewarm.
Villa’s challenge is to ensure that they get what they deserve. If performances have not dropped off noticeably, results have: two points from four games since winning all four fixtures in November. Next up are Chelsea, the archetype of what can be achieved when individuals buy into the power of the collective.
Aston Villa (4-4-2) S Carson 6 O Mellberg 6 Z Knight 6 M Laursen 6 W Bouma 6 A Young 6 N Reo-Coker Y 4 G Barry Y 7 S Maloney 5 J Carew 8 G Agbonlahor 6 Substitutes: S Petrov (for Maloney, 74min) Not used: S Taylor, M Harewood, C Davies, C Gardner Next: Chelsea (a)
Manchester City (4-2-3-1) J Hart 6 N Onuoha 6 M Richards 6 R Dunne 6 M Ball Y 6 D Hamann Y 5 Gelson Y 6 D Vassell Y 6 Elano 4 M Petrov 7 R Bianchi 6 Substitutes: V Corluka 6 (for Hamann, 70); J Garrido (for Elano, 76); K Etuhu (for Bianchi, 85) Not used: A Isaksson, Geovanni Next: Blackburn Rovers (h)
Referee L Mason
Attendance 41,455
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Basically, I am a big fan of Bianchi's. I think that Sven is basically saying in that sentence, "I am going so start Bianchi more", which is good. I think he has a lot to offer Man City.
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