Boing boing bouncy bouncy!

February 24, 2009 by Martin Banks
Filed under: Aston Villa 
bounce

Will bounce fox Friedel?

For those who aren’t already aware, Villa’s second leg UEFA Cup game in Moscow is to be played on a plastic pitch. The temperature in Moscow is often very bloody cold (to put it technically) and, as there was nothing they could do about that, CSKA installed an artificial playing surface.

The pitch is FIFA approved, so it’s all above board, but it definitely sets Villa at a disadvantage as the Moscownians are more accustomed to the way the pitch plays. The bounce of the ball is going to be different and the roll may differ too.

Gareth Barry has been quoted in many newspapers today, some putting a positive spin on it, some a negative one. I’ll let you decide, here’s what he said:

“It is quite a difficult surface because you’re just not used to playing on it.

“You’re playing in moulded boots rather than your studs which the majority of players wear.

“It is different but we’ll have a day’s training beforehand and we’ll get used to it. It can’t be used as an excuse.

“The ball does bounce slightly differently but not enough to be used as an excuse.

“It rolls pretty straight. It doesn’t move and you get used to it pretty quickly to be honest.

“You’ve got to try and be experienced and not worry about it at all. You’ve just got to play your normal game.”


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