Barry leaving Villa?

Every Villa fans know that Gareth Barry has always been a great player, whether playing at left back or left midfield. So recently when he came to prominence in the England squad, many fans are not surprise, but instead feel that justice has finally been done.

Until now, he has been overlooked by the National team. The reasons for that, many wouldn't disagree are that, he is not playing for the top 4 club in England, and his position wouldn't allow him the to create the sensation and publicity a striker would have by scoring goals.

Now he finally come into the limelight, and created interests among the bigger clubs. The reason is that, left-footed central midfielders are a rarity, especially those with his passing range. Players of his consistency can exert a quiet influence over the vast majority of their games. Leadership and set-piece expertise both help account for Villa's progress this season.

Barry's friendship with Steven Gerrard is cited as a reason to exchange Aston Villa for Anfield. And there is no doubt that the Rafa admires gifted technicians with a sense of tactical discipline, and this is proven when Rafa made an offer for Barry. The offer involve only player exchange, with Peter Crouch (one of Villa's target), John Arne Riise and Scott Carson going to the other side.

Martin O'Neill certainly are not happy with the offer, and stressed that Villa want to challenge, not "feed" bigger club with their best stars. But Barry's will is certainly the main factor here. Barry would like to play in the prestigious Champions League and challenging for the Barclays Premier League title, which Villa don't seem able to offer in the near future.

But a move to Liverpool is not without risk. There are so many options available for Rafa that, Barry might not be able to play as much as he would like. Besides, they still don't seem to have the material to be BPL champions, lagging so far behind Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. So a move to Liverpool doesn't guarantee success in the league. The only certainty is that Barry will be able to play some Champions League game, provided Rafa choose to play him.