Aston Villa could well be one of the dark horses in the Premier League this season following an impressive revival under Unai Emery. With European football returning to Villa Park and a number of transformative signings already through the door, there’s a lot to be excited about as an Aston Villa supporter.
How the team did last season
Villa had a slow start to the 2022/23 campaign.
Steven Gerrard was at the helm for the opening 11 matches of the season and his side managed to win just two of those games, losing on six occasions. He was dismissed after a 3-0 defeat to Fulham.
Emery had turned down advances from a number of clubs while in charge of Villarreal but the project at Villa Park enticed him to return to England. When he was appointed, Villa sat 16th in the table.
They finished the season in seventh, claiming a Europa Conference League spot after a remarkable run of form under the former Arsenal tactician.
Following his arrival, Villa scored in 20 consecutive matches and were the first team in Premier League history to achieve such a feat under a new manager. They picked up wins over Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and Newcastle United. At one stage, they were on a 10-match unbeaten run.
They finished the season with seven points from games against Spurs, Liverpool and Brighton to pip the former to a European place.
It was rather fitting that Ollie Wakins scored what turned out to be the winner in the final game of the campaign against the Seagulls. The forward found his groove again under Emery and finished the season with a Premier League career-high 15 goals.
The former Brentford man also chipped in with six assists, a figure only Jacob Ramsey (seven) could better. He was pivotal to Villa’s rise up the table, but it was very much a team effort. In fact, Douglas Luiz finished with the highest FotMob average (7.31) after a series of dominant performances in the middle of the park.
What has happened during the summer?
What is important to remember here is that it is Emery’s first pre-season with the club. He’s had time and opportunity to really work with the players so we should see a more refined version of this Villa team. That is pretty ominous for their rivals given how good they looked after the one-time PSG tactician arrived.
Furthermore, the Villans have strengthened.
Pau Torres reunited with Emery having played some of his best football under the 51-year-old when the pair were together at Villarreal. The Spain international had been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and even Manchester City during his time in LaLiga. There was even a time he was reportedly being targeted by Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Despite having the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos at his disposal, Emery decided to being the 6ft3 centre-back to Villa Park in a deal believed to be worth £32million.
Villa have also bolstered their attacking options. They parted with a club record fee – over £50million – to sign Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen. The 24-year-old explosive winger, once courted by the Premier League’s traditional big six, will add an entirely new dynamic to the attack under Emery. He’s already amongst the goals in pre-season.
Finally, Youri Tielemans was added to the team. The 26-year-old midfielder was available on a free transfer following his departure from Leicester City and Villa snapped him up. He is another who was tipped for a big-money move to one of Europe’s elite clubs only a couple of years ago. His form tailed off in a disappointing Foxes side but the talent is still there. If Emery is able to get a tune out of him, Villa have bagged themselves a £50million-rated midfielder for free. He could turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer and he brings a lot of experience to the middle third.
What they should be aiming for next season?
Emery is a brilliant manager in knockout competitions. There is an expectation that they go far in the Europa Conference League and perhaps get to the latter stages of both domestic cup competitions.
In the league, they will fancy their chances of gatecrashing the top seven again. Who knows, if luck is on their side, a top-four push could well be on the cards given they have a manager who excels in tactical battles.
The big question heading into the new season is whether or not they have enough goals in their squad. Watkins is the only established centre-forward in the side right now.
Prediction
8th.
(Images from IMAGO)
Think you know better than our Premier League expert? Then play the FotMob Predictor Game and decide where your team will finish this season! Find the game in the More tab of the FotMob app, which you can download, for free, right here.