Premier League: Aston Villa striker John Carew looking forward to the new season
Aston Villa’s big striker John Carew is looking forward to the upcoming season, and says that he will do his best to stay fit and keep firing in the goals for his club.
The front man from Norway has been the top scorer for The Villans for the last 3 seasons; he scored 17 goals in the previous season alone. He said that he is happy that he was able to net in 17, but said that he would set his goals (pun intended) much higher this season, and help his team make it to the Champions League next season.
The 30 year old has been hampered by a number of injuries over the past 2 seasons; he said that had he been able to get more games, his goal tally would have been much better.
Carew said scoring goals comes naturally to him, and he would continue to do that as long as he plays. He said that normally he does not set a target ahead of the season. He went on to say that he takes every game as it comes and makes sure that he puts in 100%. Carew added that for a striker it is imperative that he is always in the right place at the right time. The Norwegian said that scoring goals is not always about making the right shot; it also helps to get some easy tap-ins, but for that, a striker needs to be there to make use of any opportunity that comes his way. He said that he has been working extra hard on his fitness these days, and the results will be there for everyone to see. John believes that the English Premier League has become more of a level playing field in the last few seasons, and now there is no ‘Big Four’ anymore. He said that last season if Villa would have continued the form they showed in the early part of the season, the Champions League spot would have been theirs. He added that Tottenham Hotspur managed to break into the top 4 and get the Champions League spot, which proves that it is anybody’s game now.
Carew is currently with his team Aston Villa on a pre-season tour in Portugal, and is preparing to take part in a tournament called Guadiana Cup. The event will also involve Feyenoord and Benfica.
James Milner, the England midfielder who has been the talk of the town these days regarding his big money move to Manchester City, was also part of the team. Team manager Martin O’Neill has said that the player has expressed his desire to leave and the club will not stop him. O’Neill went on to say that still the club will not let him go unless the right price is paid. Aston Villa has already rejected a 20 million pound bid from Manchester City. The manager added that should a deal not happen before the window closes, the player would still be welcomed back by the supporters and the club with open arms. He said that Gareth Barry had also said that he wanted to leave but did play another season for Villa before moving to City; he added that Barry was also welcomed and appreciated the same way by the fans.
The manager said that he can understand the attraction of making a move to a club like Manchester City, who have a lot of money and a great manager and are a team with big plans. He added, though, that Villa is also on its way up and there are great things to come in the upcoming seasons, so the ones that stay can be part of something memorable.
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