Hamburg 3 Villa 1 - analysis

Villa and Croatian strikers are a proven recipe for disaster and again it was the case.

The mere mention of £5.8million flop Bosko Balaban's disastrous stint is sure to make any Villa fan wince – the Croat never started a game let alone scored a goal in over two years at the club.

It was two of his compatriots, Ivica Olic and Mladen Petric, who scored all three goals against a sub-standard Villa side, leaving Villa third in UEFA Cup Group F and facing a last 32 tie against one of the other group winners when the draw is made.

Ironically, Balaban and Olic were strike partners when the Villa misfit was allowed to return to Dinamo Zagreb, his current employers, on loan.

Two years ago they were dropped from the national squad, after going on a late-night drinking binge together.

Olic and Petric may not be household names on our shores but they are among the best in the Bundesliga. Olic is widely tipped to join Bayern Munich in January.

They are sure to have been a topic of conversation among the 2,000 plus Villa supporters on their journey home.

Confirmed potential opponents are Wolfsburg, St Etienne and CSKA Moscow – the latter, who claimed maximum points, the only side Villa should genuinely fear.

Groups A-D will be settled tonight with Standard Liege, Udinese, Galatasaray and Manchester City, who Villa would be ineligible to face at this stage, currently top of their respective groups but all can still be caught.

O'Neill made his intentions clear when he insisted he "did not give a jot" what position Villa finished in with qualification already assured. The fact he made eight changes proved it.

Defeat, therefore, was not a major shock. Hamburg, in their final game before their winter break, would have provided a stern test of O'Neill's first choice XI, let alone a fringe side.

The defence looked vulnerable without its rock, Martin Laursen, with Zat Knight and Carlos Cuellar at least partly culpable for all three goals.

Gareth Barry was sorely missed in the middle. A few exciting glimpses from Nathan Delfouneso aside, Villa were impotent without the direct threat of Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor.

They must also cope without Steve Sidwell for the first leg, after he was sent off.

No doubt, it will have left fans frustrated. Just a fortnight ago Villa were sitting pretty at the top, knowing a home victory over MSK Zilina would almost guarantee top spot.

Instead, they have crawled over the finish line, having gifted any early initiative back to their rivals.

O'Neill's decision to leave so many big names behind is sure to have galled many of the supporters, who shelled out hundreds of pounds just a week before Christmas.

The claret and blue boss is not the sort to make decisions on a whim. This was a carefully calculated move.

If Villa go and win against West Ham on Saturday to move into third in the Premier League, it will all have been worthwhile.

They have never had a better chance to reach the Champions League and right now that is the priority.

Key fixtures against Arsenal and Hull lie just around the corner and the Ulsterman will want to name his strongest side for all of those games. Resting them last night should enable him to do that.

A quick glance at the other completed groups suggests his move was a shrewd one. Neither of the two biggest names, AC Milan or Valencia, finished top and thus will be avoided until the later rounds.

The Friday draw will be a lottery wherever any side finishes.

He will know that, now the knockout stages are here, he will be unable to make such wholesale changes again.

Just as in Prague, there was a real edge to the atmosphere inside the awe-inspiring 57,000 capacity Nordbank Arena, it was just a shame Villa could not provide the performance to match.

Within 18 minutes, they were behind to the first piece of jaw-dropping finishing from a Croat.

Bastian Reinhardt pinged a 50-yard ball from right to left which exposed the space in between Luke Young and Zat Knight.

His first touch took him clear of Knight and the second was a crisp left-footed volley past Brad Guzan.

Then, within 10 minutes it was Olic's turn. Dennis Aogo sent in a teasing cross, Olic got in front of the ragged Cuellar and headed in off the post.

The Bundesliga team, fourth in their domestic league like Villa, were inches away on half-time when Marcell Jansen saw a shot rebound off the bar.

There was at least good news for one Villa fan when it was announced his passport had been found, but the gloom soon returned when Olic grabbed his second on 56.

With Gardner stricken on the ground after being caught by Frank Rost's studs, Hamburg broke and Olic shrugged off Cuellar, who could been sent off for a shirt pull, to fire home. Game well and truly over.

O'Neill was incensed play had been allowed to continue and it took a word from referee Aleksai Nikolaev for him to retreat to the dugout.

Gardner, whose knee showed signs of stud marks, had to be replaced and Barry Bannan was given a debut in his place.

Sidwell went in the book for a foul on Collin Benjamin before Delfouneso reduced the deficit, readjusting his feet to direct Moustapha Salifou's cross inside the near post. The goal was deserved for a fearless display.

For the second game running each touch was greeted with cheers in the latter stages – only this time it wasn't from the Villa faithful.

Sidwell got his second yellow late on for a shirt pull on Jarolim. It was the first time a Villa player has been red carded this season.

It summed up a night to forget. Only after the draw and Saturday's Hammers game will we know if it was worth the sacrifice.

Hamburg: Rost, Boateng, Reinhardt, Mathijsen, Aogo, Trochowski (Ben-Hatira 89), Jarolim, Benjamin, Jansen, Petric (Thiago Neves 78), Olic (Guerrero 67).

Subs Not Used: Hesl, Demel, Pitroipa, Torun.

Booked: Mathijsen.

Aston Villa: Guzan, Luke Young, Cuellar, Knight, Shorey, Gardner (Bannan 61), Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Salifou, Harewood, Delfouneso.

Subs Not Used: Friedel, Davies, Petrov, Clark, Herd, Lowry.

Booked: Knight, Sidwell.

Sent Off: Sidwell (84).

Attendance: 49,121.