Super Gabby

By: irish_steve | January 17th, 2008

With Villa’s season just passing the halfway point there are many positive signs but none more so than the form of striker/winger Gabriel Agbonlahor. Last season he broke into the side and was a regular under Martin O’Neill playing on the right wing or up front. This season his play has been even more eye-catching, playing in all 22 of Villa’s Premiership games this season recording 7 goals and 4 assists. Since making his debut last season Agbonlahor’s performances have made him a fan favorite and made him a regular in Stuart Pearce’s U21 team scoring 2 goals in the process.

Agbonlahor’s pace sets him apart from many other players in the Premiership. Aston Villa has one of the best counter attacking sides in the Premiership which is mainly because of the young Englishman. He always plays with a smile on his face and his hunger for the game is there for all to see. Agbonlahors strength and finishing ability are a perfect complement to his blistering pace. A classic example of this is the goal he scored against Spurs earlier this year in the 4-4 draw. After the ball was flicked in his direction, Gabby used his pace and strength to catch up to the ball while holding Spurs defender Michael Dawson off. Aghbonlahor then burst into the box switching the ball from his right foot to his left and then back to his right before shooting past the outstretched leg of Dawson and finding the bottom right hand corner of the net. He throughout the whole sequence he did not pick his head up once to look where the goal was, instinctively shooting low and finding the corner. The celebration matched the goal as he slid onto the floor, smiling at the stunned Spurs fans who couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

Because Agbonlahor poses such a threat to other teams with his pace, he is often the victim of horrendous fouls. Other premiership players would rather foul him and receive a yellow card instead of allowing him to lead a Villa counter attack because they know that his pace causes so much trouble. As of January 8th 2008, Agbonlahor is ranked 9th overall in the Premiership Actim Index ahead of higher profile players like Mikel Arteta, David Bentley and Nicolas Anelka. His performances won him the Barclay’s player of the month award for the month of November. Agbonlahor’s performances this season surely must be good enough to warrant a call-up to Fabio Capello’s first England squad for the friendly against Switzerland on February 6th. Last week’s FA cup match against Manchester United was taken in by Capello and he impressed again in the 2-0 loss. Given Capello’s history of dropping big name starts in favor of in-form players this could be the beginning of a very interesting few weeks for the young Birmingham man.

There is nothing more satisfying for team and fan alike to see a player progressing from the academy ranks to establish himself in the first team. Villa’s youth academy has produced many fine players over the past few seasons but the crown jewel surely is Agbonlahor. In recent weeks there have been many rumors of Agbonlahor being a transfer target for one of England’s “big 4” teams with Arsenal seemingly making the most noise, but Martin O’Neill will know better than to cash in on one of his most prized assets. Agbonlahor is currently on the pathway to becoming one of Villa’s greatest players in recent years and a good second half to this season would justify that claim.