It was only last season that Aston Villa parted ways with Steven Gerrard to bring in Unai Emery, a manager tasked at the time with pushing the club clear of the relegation zone.
Just short of a year-and-a-half later and the West Midlands outfit find themselves in the midst of a battle to secure qualification to the Champions League. It’s been an impressive turnaround and a return to elite continental competition is a real possibility for 1982 European Cup winners.
Emery Breathed New Life Into Villa
Struggling under former boss Gerrard, Villa made the bold move to bring Emery to Villa Park in October 2022. The Villans, who are 6/5 with a football bet to finish in the Premier League’s top-four this season, splashed £5.2million to bring the Spanish tactician from La Liga outfit Villarreal. Having had a tough previous spell in England with Arsenal, who are 5/1 in the Champions League betting to win the title this season, Emery might well have felt like he had a point to prove in the Premier League. With his methodical process, the former Paris Saint-Germain boss quickly got to work at Villa Park and the turnaround was extraordinary.
From relegation candidates, Emery took Villa up to seventh place in the standings and in the process secured Europa Conference League football for the 2023/24 campaign, only just missing out on the Europa League by a point. Along with Newcastle United claiming a Champions League spot, Villa’s transformation was one of the stories of the season. There were big questions on whether Emery’s side could kick on this term but any doubters were quickly silenced after a strong first three quarters of the season.
Villa In The Heat Of The Top-Four Battle
Heading into the business end of the season, Villa find themselves in the thick of the battle for a top-four finish. After their first 29 games of the campaign, the Villans have a run-in which includes challenging games against Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. There’s little doubt that if Villa do claim fourth spot, they will have deserved it, especially after playing the three title contenders at the most pressurised time of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United also find themselves in the mix for that fourth spot, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City expected to claim the top three positions in an order yet to be decided. Spurs are in the midst of their first season under manager Ange Postecoglou and earning a Champions League spot would represent an excellent start for the Australian tactician in the English game. United have struggled for consistency but manager Erik ten Hag would get plenty of plaudits and a boost in job security if a top-four finish were to be secured. Aston Villa was not a name expected to be in the top-four race this season but the Villans are in the mix on merit.
Getting over the line is often the hardest part and all eyes will be on Emery’s side to see if they achieve their unexpected dream of Champions League qualification.
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