Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , Aston Villa , centurion Gareth Barry has given his prediction on where Aston Villa can finish this season, his assessment on their status as Europa League "favourites" and the impact that can have on the local area, his thoughts on the futures of Morgan Rodgers and Ollie Watkins and if the PSR rules are unfairly hindering "smaller" clubs.
Barry who played for Everton over 150 times has reflected on the return of David Moyes to the club, warns Iliman Ndiaye against going to Liverpool , if Lukaku could return to the club and has some high praise for the form of James Garner.
Ahead of the World Cup the former Three Lions midfielder has also discussed whether Welbeck should make England's squad, the #10 dilemma and who he sees as favourites for this summers tournament.
Aston Villa
League Prediction
The fact Aston Villa were in the title conversation was pretty incredible, really, when you're juggling European games also. It just shows the job Unai Emery is doing there. Fast forward to today, and they are still in a great position when you look at the league table. Getting that Champions League financially is massive for the club, as we found out. You are sort of attracting a different type of player in the market.
Looking at the fixtures, if they can try and get 10-12 points, I think definitely that top five, to get you into the Champions League , will be there for them. I'm confident they can hold on to fourth as well. The home game to Liverpool probably will be pivotal. Still incredible, and you've got the Europa League . The trophy that's been a long wait for Villa fans, would they swap that for their league position? A lot of them would.
Europa Favourites?
Aston Villa as Europa League favourites? I seem to remember they were favourites before the tournament started, which shows the backing people have in Unai Emery , especially in that competition. I think that just goes with the squad and the depth of players they have. I think they're worthy favourites when you look at the other teams in it, but, you know, you get to the end of cup competitions, and they can throw up some tricky ties, especially away from home.
Going back to the tricky period, I think that generally it was down to the injuries they had. Emery is such a tactical master. He needs those options of different players in midfield. He's probably got five or six players in there that he can use for different games, but when you do lose people like John McGinn , Youri Tielemans , and Boubacar Kamara all at the same time, it suddenly limits it. I think that was the period they did struggle, but it's probably a lesson for the manager and the players in there. But going forward, two of them seem to be back, and the results have picked up on the back of them returning.
Importance of Silverware
Living in the area, having the banter with the Birmingham City fans, and apparently, the Intertoto doesn't count. So I can't use that one for him, being a fan of Villa , you want to end that trophy drought, and to do it with a European competition would be amazing for the city and the Villa fans. It will be huge and well celebrated, if it were to happen.
Villa's Attackers
Morgan Rogers
On Morgan Rogers , I think there was a little bit of noise at the pre-season last year with Villa obviously not qualifying for the Champions League . Morgan Rogers is more than capable of playing at the top level, so I think that's the reason he probably started the season a tiny bit slow. Speculation is natural; we're human, and it does affect your performances. But once he settled in and knew he was going to be at Villa this season, his performances have gone to another level.
For me, he's been probably the most consistent number 10 in the Premier League this season. He's different to a lot in the way he carries the ball from one box to the other. He's got great vision as well. So, I think it would be natural for the talks to happen with him and his agent if Villa didn't qualify for the Champions League again.
But that will just be his personal decision about where he wants to be at this stage of his career, because he's still young and has loads of time to play in those competitions. It will be a natural conversation, but he seems really happy, and I'm sure he likes playing under Emery because his game has massively improved, and he probably shouldn't forget that either.
Ollie Watkins
I'm hoping that Ollie Watkins missing out on the last squad can go in Aston Villa's favour, really. Give him a kick up the backside, not that I'm sure he needs it, but just give him that extra added bite to his game, where goals can start coming, confidence can grow. He knows he's fighting for Villa , and there's a place in the World Cup at the end of it. So I'm hopeful he's going to go down that road, not lose too much sleep over missing out on that squad, because Thomas Tuchel knows exactly what he can do.
He's seen him this season. So yeah, I'm confident. I feel he deserves the Harry Kane number two spot, probably over the two lads that have come in, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke. I'm hoping the exclusion will fire him up, finish the season strongly, and cement his place in the squad.
Transfers
There seems to be a lot of talk that these clubs like Aston Villa and Newcastle have a lot of money that's burning a hole in their pocket, that probably is true because if that's the case, you're probably going into the market a bit stronger.
I don't exactly completely understand all the rules, but they're obviously scared to go and get the fines or points deduction if they go over their markers that they have to stick by. So yes, as a fan, you do want your owner spending as much money as possible and bringing the best players in, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the case at the moment.
Everton
David Moyes
I wasn't surprised last season when David Moyes obviously did the job and kept them up and steadied the ship, finishing the season strong. I thought this season could be a bit tricky with the new ground. You know, seeing at Spurs how tricky it is for them and other teams when they do move into a new stadium, especially from Goodison Park , which has sort of kept them up in a few seasons gone by.
But he's adapted to that. The home form hasn't been as good as the away form, which I sort of expected because it's tricky going to that new stadium and the fans settling in. Given the position they found themselves in and the performances away from home this season, he definitely should be talked about as one of the best managers of the year. Him and Keith Andrews , again, who's done an incredible job for me at Brentford . His first season in the job and to be where they are, having lost a couple of big players as well, is fantastic too.
Iliman Ndiaye
As an ex- Evertonian , I don’t want to see any Everton players to Liverpool , especially Iliman Ndiaye . He's an incredible player. When I've seen him live, he's one of those that really does get you off your seat.
Not many players do the sort of things he does these days. He loves to just take on players, dribble, try to beat them one-on-one, and get the fans off their seats. I wouldn't be surprised if big teams, European Champions League teams, are looking at him. A direct replacement for Salah , with probably a bit of a different sort of player. Ndiaye sort of drifts inside a little bit more, so I think Liverpool should look elsewhere.
Lukaku Back?
Romelu Lukaku back to Everton ? Having played with Romelu . There aren't many proper number nine strikers out there right now, and that's what Romelu is. He just loves scoring goals. Everything in training is focused on scoring goals. Even after the training session is finished, all he wants to do is practice finishing.
At 32, knowing his character, he'll still be hungry to keep playing and scoring goals. So, I wouldn't discourage any team looking for that number nine and someone with experience from considering Romelu . Especially after him missing out on the Napoli spot this season, he'll have a point to prove as well. Who knows? A good World Cup for him, and there might be some interested suitors.
James Garner
James Garner has had a great season. I've watched him a couple of times live this year, and he affects the game all over the pitch. He's full of energy. When you look at Declan Rice at his best, James Garner's skill set and qualities are similar in the way he plays. He's grown and grown in confidence, which David Moyes has built into him. He's got a lot more responsibility at Everton . I think he's probably never really been settled in his career, and this is the first time. I think with the England squad now being up to 26 players, he's going to have a real shout.
There's obviously a lot of quality to compete against, but his performance in the last game is going to do him no harm. If he finishes the season strongly, then I'm not saying he shouldn't be in the squad. If he is in it, he's had a great season and is in good form. Could Man Utd come back in for him? I'd be surprised if James Garner would want to leave Everton at the moment. I think he's probably enjoying that settled run and a bit more game time. So yeah, I'd be surprised if that one happens. But yeah, we've seen it before at Man Utd . Wasting money and spending more to get them back. Wouldn't be the first, would it?
World Cup
Welbeck To The World Cup?
From my experience, football got easier the older you get because you know all the old tricks. I'm sure Danny Welbeck is feeling exactly the same; he's probably playing his best football in his mid-30s. I felt the same at Everton . I was playing well enough to be included in an England squad, but unfortunately, sometimes you get to that age, and managers just look at the age rather than your form.
I feel that's probably gone against Welbeck . He's definitely scored enough goals to have a chance in this last squad, but I think the manager's probably made his mind up that he's not going to go down that route. So, unfortunately for Danny , it's been a brilliant season, but it's probably not going to happen.
World Cup Favourites
Given the conditions and the Spanish style, they're deservedly favourites. The big South American teams, like Brazil and Argentina , they're used to that climate and have a style of play that can adapt to those conditions. England have got one of the best pools of players to choose from. The manager's going to have some real tough decisions. I'm not sure other countries are going to have that sort of quality to choose from.
Look at a few top players that aren't even going to make the squad, let alone the starting 11. So, you know, if we can adapt to those conditions, the players can go in there, and Thomas Tuchel's already starting to look after them in terms of trying to be a bit fresher towards the tournament starting. There's no reason why we can't go a long way, and why not win it, because we've got the players to do it.
England's #10 Dilemma
In terms of consistent form, Morgan Rogers definitely deserves to have the shirt at the moment. With Jude Bellingham's injuries, he's probably not even in the conversation at the moment, but when it comes to it, Bellingham will be there or thereabouts because he's a big-time player and he's there for the big moments.
But Rogers , for me, deserves to be having that number 10. He's been the most consistent, and he's got that slightly different style to the other players that suits international football and probably tournament football, where he can go from one pitch to the other really quickly, carrying the ball. So I'm backing Rogers to start the tournament with the number 10 shirt.
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