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“Will Sunday be strange? I am 100% for Villa. That's all I'll be doing. That won't be strange at all ... Will the fans be behind me? All I can do is give 100% for the club. That is all the fans will want to see anyway. I am sure that will be enough.

"It has been a long summer. There was continuous speculation but I feel I am strong enough mentally and I'll be fine with it all now. I always take things a season at a time. This speculation happened at the end of last season and it has been decided I'll be staying at Villa. I'll take this season now, concentrate on that and hopefully we can improve on last season.

"Do I feel hung out to dry over what has happened? That is what the football business is all about. I am contracted to Villa. They set a fee and it wasn't matched. Rules are rules.

“The manager knows I will be giving 100% for himself and the club, and that will be fine for everyone. It's nice hearing your team-mates wanting you to stay."

Gareth Barry pre-match.


"Do I have a good relationship with him [O'Neill]? I don't think so.

"If I have to say hello then I will say hello to him; I don't have any problem.

"I had a good relationship with Martin O'Neill before this summer and I was surprised at what has been said. I talked with him in April and I haven't spoken to him since then but I do not believe there will be any problem shaking hands; we can do it. My concern is to see my team playing well on the pitch and if the other things can be good, then that's good. But if not, I will stay concentrated on my team.

"I don't know what the reaction will be from the Villa fans. But we were correct in what we did with the transfer.

"The agent was clear. The player will stay there and for me that's it, end of story.

"We know that Barry is a good player, very good for them. We will try to contain him on the pitch and not talk too much about other things that have happened in the summer. It is important that we all concentrate on football, but I expect Barry to do his best for his team."

Rafael Benítez pre-match.



"I'm not every single day phoning up managers to ask how they are, nor do I expect them to call me.

"I'm sure shaking hands will not be a problem. Let me be clear on this, I have not a major problem at all, because it happens in the game."

Martin O’Neill pre-match.



“It was a tough game and I thought they came here and played a physical game.

“I think in the end that was probably the right result.

“We have a habit of scoring goals so I think us managing to keep a clean sheet is an absolute positive for us.”

Martin O'Neill.



"The fact we are disappointed at not beating Liverpool shows the club is moving forward.

"We are not 100% satisfied [with the result] and that means the club is moving in the right direction and that is definitely [the aim] to be among the top four. Looking at Liverpool on Sunday, we have nothing to be scared of. [And] we shouldn't be scared of having [the top four] as an ambition.

"There wasn't much created in front of the goals but I felt we were better than them and we had more impact.

”But it seems like you need a bit of luck to beat Liverpool. All the matches more or less turn out to be the same kind of matches when you meet them: very physical, not a lot of chances, and it was a bit like that on Sunday. It almost looked like they came for a draw. They had a lot of guys behind the ball. The fact they played like that showed they are wary of our attack."

John Carew.


"It was a tough summer and it may have played a bit on my mind.

"It's the first time I've really experienced anything like that in my career, the first transfer I've been involved in after being at Villa more than 10 years, but it's all in the past now. I didn't go into the last game [against the Czechs] thinking about my club situation. I was still just trying to do the best for my country.

"But, sure, it wasn't the ideal pre-season for me, and it wasn't what I've been used to in previous years. I admit it was difficult at times, and that's why I felt it was important I didn't wait until the last minute before the transfer deadline to make a statement. I made it 10 days ago now, to let everyone know my mind's focused on playing for Villa.

Gareth Barry.