Friedel: We Have 11 Cup Finals Ahead Of Us

Goalkeeper and new author Brad Friedel has told Sky Sports today that Aston Villa face "11 cup finals" in their quest for a Champions League berth.

After only collecting one point this weekend, blowing a 2-0 home lead to Stoke in the final three minutes for a 2-2 draw, Villa remain six points shy of Arsenal and eight from Tim Howard's Everton.

Friedel thinks both Arsenal and Everton will make it tough on Villa but he seems to think they can pull off a CL slot, telling Sky Sports: "You are always going to have ups and downs in a season. We have 11 games left and we're quite pleased with the position we're in. "We're not absolutely delighted with the position we're in because there are a few games where we have lost points out on the pitch."

"We have 11 cup finals ahead of us to hopefully cement a place in the Champions League. It's going to be hard for us, it's going to be hard for a lot of teams. "David Moyes has Everton playing really well, they are a very strong team. "We all know how good Arsenal can be and I believe they're going to be getting some of their players back. "It's going to be tough but hopefully the quality we have in our changing room will help us get to where we want to be."

Meanwhile, Friedel has released a new book entitled: Thinking Outside the Box: My Journey in Search of the Beautiful Game, which is already being reviewed in the English papers here by a writer who seems to think there is a MLS franchise in Cleveland, but who does a great interview nonetheless.