O'Neill hoping for Berger boost

13 April 2012

Martin O'Neill has challenged Aston Villa midfielder Patrik Berger to recapture the form he demonstrated during the second half of last season.

Berger's days at Villa Park looked numbered when he refused to play in a reserve team match in December and he was loaned out to Stoke.

The Villa boss is hoping Berger (centre) will have a massive impact on his return from injury

But he apologised to O'Neill and did so well in the final part of the campaign that he was given a new 12-month contract.

He has been sidelined through injury for the opening part of the campaign but is now fit and O'Neill wants him to make the same impact as in a nine-game unbeaten run to the end of last season.

O'Neill said: "I am pleased Patrik is back. He was obviously disappointed after a very good pre-season to have been out for a while.

"Now he is back and I would like him to think about playing like he did the second half of last season when he was terrific for us.

"He proved what he is worth last season, deserved his new contract, and I am just pleased to have him back in the fold and available for us."

O'Neill has also given his backing to central defender Curtis Davies who claimed he played "like a pub player" on his debut against Leicester in the Carling Cup.

Davies, signed on loan from West Brom with a view to a permanent deal, claimed he would struggle to break into Villa's Barclays Premier League side on the strength of that performance.

But O'Neill insisted: "Curtis was very harsh on himself. It was his first game. Quite naturally he was nervous about it.

"It is really refreshing to hear Curtis talk about the fact he feels he didn't play well in that game - but he is far from being a pub player.

"It is pleasing for me that players like Curtis and Nigel Reo-Coker want to come to Villa."

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