Can Bouma get back to the player he was when he got injured?
As Freddie Bouma gets within spitting distance of match fitness, he must be elated to see that his position never got properly filled and is as good as his once he feels ready for it.
The right back slot has for a number of years been Villa’s problem position, so when we bought Luke Young it looked to finally be resolved. But with Nicky Shorey failing to put confidence in O’Neill, Young has played more at left back than right, meaning that when Bouma returns he will most likely walk straight back into the side, with Young reverting back to his preferred role.
The kick in the face to Shorey will almost definitely see him depart in the summer, but the question I am now wondering is;
Will Freddie Bouma be able to be the great player he was for us before he got injured, now that our expectations has risen?
Bouma was approaching cult status with the Villa fans prior to his horrific injury and he will no doubt receive a rapturous ovation on his return to first team action, but will he be back to his best right away? (or ever?) Injuries have often disrupted a player and after being out for so long, many have failed to re-achieve their previous success.
There’s no two ways about it; Villa fans have raised the stakes this year. Booing a team that is 4th in the Premier League has become the fans’s new standard and throwing caution to the wind with the UEFA Cup we fought so hard to get into is the manager’s new standard. But when Bouma went out, we were simply in the Intertoto Cup and loving every sniff of success we got.
Will Bouma be dropped from the side after a couple of average / poor performances, like Shorey? Or will he relish the challenge and shine under the new brighter lights at Villa Park?
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