A slow summer has tempered expectations but guile of Morgan Rogers and guidance of Unai Emery should inspire again
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 5th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 6th
Prospects
For Aston Villa supporters, the postcards from last season are worthy of repeated viewing. There were memorable trips to Berne, Bruges, Leipzig, Paris and Monaco as Unai Emery’s side enjoyed an absorbing ride to the Champions League quarter-finals, and nobody of a claret-and-blue persuasion will forget the home triumph over Bayern Munich anytime soon. Then there was the run to the FA Cup semi-finals, though a comprehensive defeat to Crystal Palace at Wembley delivered a sting.
There were plenty of positives, chiefly the continued emergence of Morgan Rogers, now one of the Premier League’s most coveted players, and the consistent class of Youri Tielemans behind him in midfield, and yet it was a campaign tinged with disappointment. Villa missed out on qualifying for Europe’s elite competition on goal difference after defeat at Manchester United on the final day and Emery’s hunt for silverware – he outlined his desire to win a trophy on arrival in Birmingham almost three years ago – goes on. Villa imploding in the Europa Conference League semi-finals two years ago, losing 6-2 on aggregate to Olympiakos, hurt but now Emery returns to a competition that he knows best: the Europa League.
Villa have been transformed under Emery but is there room to grow? Except the arrival of Marco Bizot from Brest, the 34-year-old goalkeeper signed as a No 2, Villa are yet to sharpen their squad, even if the Dutchman appears a smart buy given they paid a six-figure fee. They lost out to Manchester City in the race of Sverre Nypan and were primed to move for the Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who is now poised to join Paris Saint-Germain, if a club met the asking price for Emiliano Martínez.
Improving a strong squad is not straightforward, especially in the era of profitability and sustainability rules. Villa’s spine – spearheaded by Ollie Watkins – matches that of most division rivals; Harry Kane is the only Englishman to register more goals and assists in Europe’s top five leagues across the past five seasons.
They begin the season at home to Newcastle, another team hamstrung by financial parameters, and have a seemingly kind start, facing only Eddie Howe’s side and Brentford from last season’s top 10 before the October international break. The warning sign is Villa flew out of the blocks last season – losing only one of their first 13 matches – but a hectic schedule punished them.
The manager
“I’m like a robot,” Emery said at the end of last season, describing his laser-focus at training. The 53-year-old is demanding of himself, staff and players, a football obsessive inspired by the methods of teams as grand as PSG and as modest as FC Andorra. It is not uncommon for him to study clips on the exercise bike or make notes on the rowing machine but his workaholic nature has led him to read books to control his emotions. Emery is the majority shareholder of fourth-tier Real Unión, the Basque club for whom his father, Juan, and grandfather, Antonio, played. His pièce de résistance remains his success in the Europa League – he has won it on four occasions – and this season he has the chance to make it five.
Off-field picture
Perhaps the most important piece of business was the move to sell the women’s team to help comply with the league’s profitability and sustainability regulations. The sale of a key player such as Martínez would liberate them in the market but Villa are under no pressure to sell prized assets. This summer Francesco Calvo, previously of Juventus, replaced Chris Heck as the president of business operations, with Calvo’s long-term aim to “make the club successful 360 degrees”. That helps explain the increase in season-ticket prices, the North Stand redevelopment which will take Villa Park’s capacity north of 50,000, the chain of concerts, including Black Sabbath last month, and news that the stadium will host Premiership rugby next March.
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