After steadily improving over the last few years and being accepted as one of the top sides in the Premier League, Villa supposedly cemented its place in the country’s elite by winning a European trophy last season and booking another year of Champions League in the process. But the way the media and pundits have been talking this summer, you would have thought that the club was in crisis.
Selling a few of the established stars of the team, due mainly to keep in line with financial and sustainability rules, concerned some, and there was the added factor of being outside the really big teams in the Premier League. So-called experts always seem to think that a challenge to the wealthiest clubs in the league cannot be maintained over the course of a few seasons.
If a neutral was wondering is BetOnline legit because they wanted to back a team in the Premier League this term, they might be turned off Villa because of the negative preseason predictions. But has Unai Emery fooled everyone? Can Villa compete and challenge again this season, and maintain its position as a top-level EPL side?
Transfer Window
Whatever your view on what others think is going on at Villa this season, the concern is perhaps understandable considering the upheaval in the squad during the summer transfer window. It is not just the sheer number of players arriving and departing, but the caliber of player that has left the club that has been disconcerting.
Losing Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins, and Emi Martinez in one window is huge, but a lot of money has come into the club for those players. There have also been some very good new arrivals. The pressure is now on for those new players to settle in and gel as quickly as possible.
Worse Start Possible
After the criticism the club received for allowing so many star payers to leave this summer, the last thing Unai Emery would have wanted would have been an opening day thrashing at the hands of a smaller club that is put on a pedestal as the way a modern club should be run. A 4-0 thrashing only confirmed many people’s fears.
Emery acknowledged that it was a terrible start to the season for Villa, but the upheaval should be taken into consideration. It doesn’t make anything better, and the club should be run in a better way to ensure that the comings and goings in the summer don’t affect what is happening on the pitch. But losing the first game of the season does not guarantee a struggle. It wasn’t ideal, but Villa can bounce back.
Villa Rebuild
We have already mentioned the concern that the Premier League will not wait for the Villa rebuild to garner results. But there should be an excited sense of anticipation among the fans at the prospect of what might happen this season. There are some very good players who have signed for the club.
In many cases, the star players who have left have been replaced by younger versions with potential. The Premier League can be very unforgiving, but there is much to be excited about from Villa’s transfer business. Johan Manzambi was electrifying for Switzerland during the World Cup and could be a real star of the league in the years to come. João Gomes has proven EPL experience, while Matteo Ruggeri seems a snip at just £17 million. Leon Goretzka is another proven star, and bringing in Zion Suzuki for Emi Martinez feels like an example of long-term thinking.
Europe: A Distraction or a Hindrance?
After famously winning the Europa League last season and easing the pressure of having to claim silverware, Villa now has another Champions League campaign to look forward to. Regularly playing in the most prestigious European club competition should be the aim of the club, so it is disappointing to hear that some people think that it could act as a hindrance to the Premier League campaign this season.
The worst that playing in the Champions League should be for a side is that it acts as a distraction from any problems it is having at home. Yes, there are more games to be played, but the rebuild over the summer has largely kept the depth in the squad at the same level.
Villa has an intriguing slate of fixtures ahead in the Champions League. Games against PSG and Barcelona will test the squad to its limit, and away trips to Bruges, Istanbul, and Prague are likely to provide some memorable experiences for the fans. The Champions League campaign should be enjoyed for as long as it lasts, and there is no reason why the team cannot go deep into the knockout rounds.
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Targets for the Season
With that Champions League campaign to consider, it might be understandable if Villa does not put too much stock in going far in the FA and League Cups this season. Villa fans will always want their team to do as well as possible, but the Premier League and Champions League will always be more important.
In that regard, qualifying for the knockout rounds should be the immediate target in Europe, while ensuring that there is another season of Champions League football next season. It depends on whether the Premier League earns another place in the competition due to coefficient ranking, but finishing in the top four should not be beyond this team. Villa may be able to finish fifth and still qualify, so that should be the target for the league this year.
It feels like there are those who are just waiting for Unai Emery and Villa to fail this season, after the amount of changes the club has gone through in the summer. But there is no reason why this team cannot perform and do well this year – and surprise everyone once again.
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