Aston Villa

Unsung Heroes: Martin Laursen

#2: Martin Laursen, Aston Villa
Apps: 57; Goals: 7

Most football fans assumed that Aston Villa would become a stronger team when Martin O’Neill took charge of the club in August 2006. His track record spoke for itself and his motivational skills seemed a perfect tonic for this depressed Midlands giant. In short, he was exactly what Villa needed.

Since then, he’s bought wisely and harnessed the talents of many of the young players that he inherited on joining the club.

Villa now play with pace and mobility whilst remaining solid at the back. And whilst his team now possesses some of England’s finest young talent, such as the ever improving Ashley Young and the excellent Gabriel Agbonlahor, no player has been more important to the recent progress made by Villa than Martin Laursen.

Signed from Milan for £3m in 2004, Laursen’s time at Villa has been littered with injuries. It wasn’t until O’Neill arrived that he began to get any consistency. Indeed, over half of his total appearances for the club have come this season.

In the fleeting glimpses that we had of him between knee injuries, he always looked like a solid player, and had a CV to prove it, but Laursen’s reading of the game has improved considerably under the tutelage of the new manager.

He has matured into a player that does the basics well, commands his area and marshals the defence with authority without requiring blistering pace or a particularly imposing physique. But added to this, he has developed the ability to score from set plays and has done so half a dozen times this year. This season, he has been quite excellent in the air. He’s by no means the biggest defender in the world but his timing makes him one of the most decisive.

It’s no coincidence that England’s increasing dominance in Europe has come at a time when Premier League managers are giving more thought and attention than ever to the art of defending. The league possesses not only some of the best defenders in the world, but also some of the best defensive midfielders. So to say that Laursen has been one of the exceptional players of his type in the league this season is no small complement.

There are many more skillful players at Villa Park, but what the experienced Dane may lack in sheer ability, he more than makes up for with a superb footballing brain and total commitment to the cause. And what more can you ask for than a dependable defender who scores goals? Indeed he’s scored more this season (six) than Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic combined (four).

At 30, Laursen has several years left at the top and under O’Neill he can be the bedrock of the team’s success for at least three more seasons.

‘What’s that coming out of the air, It’s Martin Laursen, It’s Martin Laursen!’ - Villa fans, most weeks

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