Getting back on track is vital for success.
Aston Villa have been one of the pleasant surprises of the Premier League season. They’ve been battling it out at the right end of the division for the entire campaign and recorded some excellent results. But, as we enter the final portion of the season, The Villains must find their consistency again to qualify for the Champions League.
At one stage, people were talking about Aston Villa as potential title challengers, such was their fantastic form, especially at Villa Park. And although most Premier League betting platforms didn’t really have Unai Emery’s side in with a realistic chance of claiming the Premier League crown, they were heading into 99% of games as the odds on favourite, which tells you everything you need to know.
Looking at the picture as things stand, Villa are over ten points adrift of top spot, so the best they can realistically hope for is Champions League qualification, which isn’t a bad thing at all and something every Villa stakeholder would have snatched your hand off for at the start of the current campaign. But inconsistent form, especially when the likes of Spurs and Manchester United are in hot pursuit, won’t help the team in their quest for this target.
If you go back to when Villa defeated Brentford at the GTech, they have recorded the following sequence of results: draw, loss, win, draw, loss, win, loss, win. And it’s this lack of positive consistency in results and performances that could end up costing Villa and Emery if they’re not careful. But it’s not all doom and gloom; it’s far from it, as this team has proven itself capable of getting into the right groove on more than one occasion this term.
For example, there was a period between mid-September and late October where Villa won all their games except one, with the only points dropped coming in a 1-1 draw against a rejuvenated Wolves. When that excellent streak came to an end at the hands of Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Villa put together another impressive run immediately, which boasted five wins and a draw. This run also included back-to-back 1-0 home victories against Arsenal and Manchester City.
So, while there is a need for Villa to find that kind of consistency again, it’s been proven multiple times that it’s something they’re more than capable of delivering, even when they’re facing off against the division’s top teams. Home form continues to be king, nine wins from twelve at the time of writing. It’s arguably an improvement in away form that’s needed, with six victories from thirteen and eighteen points dropped in total on the road.
Between now and the end of the season will come the real test of Emery’s management skills and what his team can do on the pitch. The situation remains in their hands, as does a top-four finish and Champions League qualification. If they get into their stride again, as they did before, they’ll be at the top table of European football in 2024-25.
