On december 2011 · AVFC
Carlos Cuellar has hailed central defensive partner Richard Dunne, insisting: “It’s a pleasure to play with him.”
Cuellar praised Dunne’s performance against Arsenal as “immense” and it was certainly a view shared by a host of pundits watching the match.
But Cuellar says his quality performance shouldn’t be a shock to anyone because of the consistent brilliance he has demonstrated since joining Villa.
Cuellar insists that Dunne is the perfect partner for anyone at the back.
He said: “He was brilliant against Arsenal, absolutely brilliant, but that should be no surprise to anyone!
“He has been superb since he joined Villa. He has been unbelievable. If you look back at his displays over the years for Villa, he has always been so, so solid.
“He is definitely one of the very best defenders in the Premier League. His experience stands him in good stead too, he has been doing it season after season at the very top level – and you can tell.
“He is so easy to play with. He talks to you throughout the game and you know if you make a mistake or miss something, he’ll be there for you.
“I thought against Arsenal we worked well as a pair. We communicated well, we always knew where each of us was on the pitch throughout the game and there was good positioning.
“He was a pleasure to play with.”
Cuellar, of course, returned to the starting line-up for the first time since November at Tottenham and he was thrilled to back in claret and blue action.
He added: “It was great to play again. It’s been a while since I last started. But I felt good and I felt confident and I felt ready.”
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