Mellberg Takes Nothing For Granted

Olof Mellberg¡¦s name is one of the first on the team-sheet for most Villa fans. But the classy defender flew off to Scandinavia today insisting he will be taking nothing for granted under new boss David O¡¦Leary.

The Swedish international ace may have been one of Villa¡¦s few consistent performers last season, but he knows that will count for nothing unless he impresses the new man in charge.

And, professional as ever, Mellberg is determined to impress his third Villa boss in just two years, insisting: ¡§I know exactly what¡¦s expected of me.¡¨

He said: ¡§I¡¦ve had a lot of managers throughout my career. We changed managers at least a couple of times every year in Spain and I¡¦ve had three so far here ¡V this is my third season.

¡§So it¡¦s nothing new to me and I haven¡¦t had any problems before with that and I hope I have no problems under the new manager.¡¨

Mellberg, who returned for pre-season training last week, continued: ¡§There¡¦s a positive atmosphere, especially for the players who didn¡¦t play that much last season or felt they had been left out. This is a fresh start for them and there¡¦s a positive atmosphere in the dressing room.

¡§Fitness is the key at the moment and we¡¦re working very hard, as you would expect. Everyone wants to prove what they¡¦ve got, both in the physical aspect and in the football on the pitch.

¡§Everyone is working very hard and that¡¦s what you expect when a new manager comes in. So it¡¦s been a good start to pre-season training.

¡§I had a good vacation. I got a couple of weeks before linking-up with the national squad and almost four weeks after. So it was a good break and it¡¦s nice to be back.¡¨