The mind behind Villa's success

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Despite their weekend defeat by Chelsea, there is no doubt that Martin O'Neill is masterminding a revival at Aston Villa.

Northern Irishman O'Neill has long-been coveted as a future England manager by media and fans alike and has been interviewed, and overlooked, for the national team position.

Well England's loss is certainly proving to be Villa's gain as O'Neill has molded together a squad made up of predominately English players to form a realistic challenge to the dominance of the top four clubs in the Premier League.

The progress at Villa Park over the last few years has been there for all to see.

Three seasons ago they struggled to 16th in the Premier League, the following season they achieved 11th place and last season they finished sixth, with only Manchester United and Arsenal scoring more goals.

With perfect symmetry for that run to continue, Villa would have to be crowned champions come next May, and while they might not be quite that good yet -- as Sunday's 2-0 reverse at Stamford Bridge showed -- there is no reason to believe fifth place (the position they currently occupy) or possibly even a Champions League berth is completely out of the question.

Perhaps more through good fortune and circumstance than persuasion, but O'Neill's determination and eventual success in keeping England midfielder Gareth Barry at the club -- despite the summer-long attention of Liverpool -- undoubtedly provided Villa a boost going into the new campaign.

The breakdown of Barry's move to Anfield meant O'Neill was able to continue with the stability he had instilled within the club.

Just 21 players were used by O'Neill last season and, remarkably, he named the same unchanged line-up for the opening seven matches of this season -- despite a spending spree which saw the likes of James Milner (Newcastle), Carlos Cuellar (Rangers) and Steven Sidwell (Chelsea) arrive at Villa Park.

Barry, for one, has flourished under O'Neill. A bit-part England international in the past, the 27 year-old's guile and passing ability has now made him a regular in the Three Lions' midfield, providing the perfect foil for the more attacking-minded Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard.

There is no doubt that Barry will soon be joined by a few of his Villa Park team-mates. Left-winger Ashley Young continues to impress all who watch him, including his fellow-professionals who named him in their Premier League team of the year last season,

The spring-heeled Gabriel Agbonlahor already has a Premier League hat-trick to his name this season and will be a mainstay of Villa and England for years to come.

This is while the aforementioned Milner has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League in recent seasons, bursting onto the scene as a 16 year-old at Leeds United before excelling in a struggling Newcastle side.

Villa's resurgence, along with Manchester City's new-found wealth, gives real belief that the Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal Premier League stranglehold can finally be broken. In Villa's case, their position within the elite of English football is completely feasible.

Along with compatriots Nottingham Forest, Villa are the only former European Cup winners not to have competed in the Champions League.

Should O'Neill remain at the helm, and that is no means certain considering his name is continually linked with every major job that becomes available, and their impressive young squad continues to improve at its current rate, then expect that statistic to end in the very near future.

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