With Aston Villa sitting well at the bottom of the Premier League, a possible FA Cup run could salvage something out of this dismal season.
This goes without saying, but, Aston Villa are in a terrible, terrible situation regarding their Premier League position. Only gathering a whopping eight points over a stretch where sixty were possible, the West Midlands side is bombing out of the Premier League as eleven points separates the club from safety. The Claret and Blue are undeniably destined for Championship football, however, the fact that relegation is on the horizon opens a gateway of potential success for Villa in the FA Cup.
Aston Villa find themselves in an unfortunate, yet, unique situation going into the FA Cup. While most teams Villa will face in the competition are preoccupied with fielding a squad that won’t jeopardize their respective league position, Villa have the opportunity to field crucial first-team players due to the club’s non-existent competitiveness within Premier League play. Starting a stronger quality lineup compared to those of their opponents, could give Villa an advantage and prompt further success throughout the domestic cup.
Right now, there is no reason why Aston Villa shouldn’t be striving towards a successful cup competition. Premier League success down the road looks highly unlikely, and Rémi Garde must cut his losses in the league and direct his entire focus onto the FA Cup in an attempt to provide at least some success to an otherwise downtrodden season. With a stronger lineup and complete focus on the FA Cup, a substantial run is plausible in this competition and could be a really nice consolation prize to everybody associated with this club.
And who knows? Aston Villa could be going back to Wembley for the second straight year. After all, it is the magic of the cup.
