Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villans Ahead of Chelsea Six-Pointer

Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villans Ahead of Chelsea Six-Pointer

If Villa fans were offered third place with ten matches remaining after the dismal start to the campaign, then every last one would have taken the offering. But this doesn’t paint the full picture since Unai Emery’s side headed into the home match with Everton holding a very healthy points cushion and the promise of a run of relatively winnable games to come. That cushion has now been incinerated, leaving fans wondering how much lower can Villa sink. Despite that, here are the latest five reasons to be cheerful as Villans.

Yin and Yang Dogheads

Wolves’ winner deep into added time against Liverpool was akin to a Prozac pill for Villa fans ahead of the Chelsea game. Suddenly, Villa weren’t necessarily going to get lost in the stampede for Champions League places.

Despite the drastically improved results since the end of December, Wolverhampton Wanderers will more than likely get relegated in May. After cashing out with three points from the Arne Slot machine, they have at least done Villa a huge favour before they go.

There is little point in denying the fact that Wolves have had Villa’s number in recent years; the record at Molineux speaks volumes about struggles that Villa and Emery have suffered there (one win in their last nine visits). Thank goodness, then, that for at least one season Villa fans will not be forced to sit through the indignity of the obligatory defeat in the Custard Bowl.

Engine That Could

Villa’s captain John McGinn proclaimed last week that he was two to three weeks away from returning to training. Whether or not that means he may be available for the first leg in Lille remains to be seen, but his return would give his teammates and the fans a much-needed boost. McGinn’s energy and physicality are sorely missed in this patched-up Villa midfield, but his return would be as valuable symbolically given his captaincy and the hope that it could mark a return to winning ways.

Tam To Shine

Since returning to Villa Park, Tammy Abraham has looked sharp (as per the below pic). He has found the net three times so far (including the disallowed goal against Brentford), with very brief cameos off the bench, and given the much-publicised struggles of Ollie Watkins for the past eighteen months, it is surely time to give Abraham the nod to lead the line. While the performances haven’t been stellar, the few chances that are being created are continually going unpunished. Giving Abraham a start against his old club at Villa Park would surely add some fresh impetus into this increasingly seemingly stale team.

That said, Watkins did bag a brace in the return fixture this season in Villa’s 2-1 win.

In 2026, Villa boast the best defence in the league in terms of the least goals conceded (seven), so a striker taking the odd chance they get, could be a huge factor in Villa’s Champions League push.

Europa League

The knockout phase draw pitched Villa against previous Conference League rivals Lille. The French side sit in fifth place and will undoubtedly still have Emi Martinez’s antics fresh in their minds. Anyone expecting an easy ride will likely be surprised; however, a shift away from the league struggles may give the players the chance to regroup in the Europa League.

With a place in the Champions League up for grabs, and Villa’s league form dropping like a stone, the Europa League at least is a back-up plan. The win against Bologna in the tournament earlier in the season helped build confidence to turnaround Villa’s league form. The returns of John McGinn and Youri Tielemans are pencilled in for March, so perhaps the side can use the Europa League to reboot and end the season strongly.

Schadenfreude

However bad the recent results have made you feel. Just be glad you’re not a Tottenham fan. Spurs haven’t won in their last ten league games and could be in big trouble come the end of the season. Who knows, maybe even Wolves can still catch them?

UTV

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