Yes, it was only pre-season but nobody can tell me Juventus didn't want to win last night or that Porto didn't want to win the other night. It was a pre-season tournament, but the club picked up £2mn for the result last night and some of the players that came through are going to make it difficult for O'Neill.
Top of the pile for me is Marc Albrighton closely followed by right back Eric Lichaj. I don't want to get carried away by their performances but it is quite exciting. Football is only football after all and the teams we've played recently have wanted it as much as we have.
But what does O'Neill do? He paid £12mn for Milner, will he drop him for Albrighton? We also all know that Luke Young is a very good player, does he drop him for a 20 year old from Illinois? These are tough questions and ones that O'Neill might not get right, but time will tell.
Martin O'Neill
It is great to have won the competition - great for the young players and very good for the senior players as well. They haven't had much rest between matches - we've had things to contend with in terms of injuries, illnesses and suspensions - and we even had to send for some reinforcements - basically three members of last season's Youth Team.
Overall, I couldn't be more pleased.
Right, moving on from the Peace Cup, although it is a nice feeling to see an Aston Villa captain hold aloft a trophy, we have the important business of new players needed.
There has been talk over the weekend that O'Neill is on the verge of signing Miguel Veloso, mostly because he can't agree personal terms with Read Madrid player Wesley Sneijder, who is, apparently, top of the list.
They're both different players also. Veloso is, for me anyway, just like Petrov or Reo-Coker while Sneijder is much more of an attacking player and something I think we need. I also don't think O'Neill will be after both, but it would be fantastic if we could get Sneijder at Villa Park. He scores goals, works hard and has a very good free kick.
So, I'm going to leave you with this photo as I struggle downstairs for coffee and toast. More later, hopefully.
