Unlike last season, Unai Emery’s men managed to hit some decent form in the final months of the season. Despite juggling three competitions to a late stage, the chance to reach Europe’s holy grail again was very much on, and all they had to do to have a chance was to beat a poor Manchester United side, the losers of the Europa El Crapico,
El Crapico
In the end, while Europa League qualification was a boobie prize and a reminder of Villa’s constant Premier League sixth status and UEFA Cup torment of the 1990’s and 2000’s, it does bring with it one major benefit. In the week leading up to Villa’s meltdown at Old Trafford, we’d witnessed woeful Manchester United and Tottenham sides battle it out in the ‘El Crapico’ Europa League final.
Next season, if Villa have a poor league campaign, they too will have a backdoor into the Champions League in their own version of the ‘El Crapico’ with a potential final against Crystal Palace. Before such a final, Unai Emery will also have the additional bonus of two Premier League games against the Eagles to finally work out a way to beat what has been Villa’s new bogey team under him.
Consistency
Aston Villa secure a third consecutive season of European football via a league finish, a feat that has not been matched by any other side outside of the traditional ‘Sky Six’. While fans will understandably feel frustrated that a Champions League place is not secured for next season, the progress that the club is making under Unai Emery is still commendable and cements Villa as one of the elite sides of the Premier League.
Further proof of the manager’s success is confirmed with the fact that this is only the second time in the Premier League era that Aston Villa has secured three consecutive point hauls of over 60 points. These achievements bode well for next season as the club aims to progress further.
The Ruthless One
As Villa sit tenth in Opta’s best teams in the world, it only highlights the remarkable work that Unai Emery has undertaken in his two and a half years at Villa Park. While he comes across as a relaxed and friendly interviewee, there is a side to him that aids him in his search for constant improvement. No, it’s not his clear winning mentality nor is it his astute tactical brain, but rather his well-camouflaged ruthlessness in management.
While the players clearly respect and admire their manager’s extreme diligence, they will be all to aware that if they cannot perform to the levels that he expects then they will be replaced. This bodes very well for a side that has made giant strides in a short space of time, but has also demonstrated fragility in key moments, as we approach an important transfer window.
Villa’s inability to convert big chances at one end and prevent them at the other will not go unnoticed by Emery, and it’s something he will surely look to address with urgency this summer.
Growing Pains
As the dust settles after a long season, fans are understandably concerned by Villa’s apparent inability to see out key moments. The cup defeat to Crystal Palace, the big chances missed at home against PSG, and the final-day capitulation at the ‘Theatre of Screams’ are all clear examples of opportunities that slipped away.
Rome, however, wasn’t built in a day. Despite the painful moments of the past twelve months, there’s every chance that both the manager and players will take those experiences on the chin and grow from them. The summer transfer window gives Emery the chance to weed out weaker mentalities and add more steel to the squad, while those who remain can use those past capitulations as fuel to push further next season – and finally lift some silverware.
Always the bridesmaid…
This weekend’s Champions League final sees Villa’s conquerors go head-to-head with Inter Milan. For some of us, there’s a strange comfort in being knocked out by the eventual champions. If PSG do beat their Italian opponents, it will mark the third time in the past 12 months that Villa have been eliminated by a team that went on to lift silverware – with Olympiacos winning their first European trophy last season and Crystal Palace claiming their first ever trophy after evicting Villa from Wembley in April.
I’ll be cheering PSG on to win their first Champions League title, if only to reassure myself that we lost to worthy opponents. Who knows, maybe next year, other team’s fans will think of Villa in a similar way?
Follow Armen on Twitter/X here – @VillanArmen
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