Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Preseason Warms Up
Aston Villa’s exciting 2024/25 season ended not with a bang but with something of a whimper, when it came to hard achievements. Emery’s men grabbed the season by the scruff of the neck from March onwards but despite the excellent form and a Champions League quarter-final, there was little to show for it come May. After two months away from all things Villa, it’s time once again to look ahead to a new campaign and hope that it may finally be the year that a trophy is lifted at Villa Park. Here are an early preseason Five Reasons to Be Cheerful.
Witness The Fitness
After a disappointing campaign last season, despite the departure of Moussa Diaby, it was good to see Leon Bailey (allegedly) putting in some hard graft during the holiday break. The winger is angling for a big money move, and was able to demonstrate his stamina, work ethic and a tidy finish. Despite one excellent campaign that propelled the club into the Champions League, it certainly feels like Bailey has had ample opportunity to prove himself at Villa Park. Not helped by frequent muscle injuries, it is good to see him firing on all cylinders again (I repeat, allegedly).
PSR Cheat Code
Following the example of the Chelsea money machine, the club announced a late deal to purchase the women’s football team and subsequently avoid any PSR repercussions. While the move is more akin to the kind of business dealings witnessed in Ozark, it is the sad result of poorly thought-out rules and regulations. Playing catch-up with the Sky Six is a thankless task with the rules clipping the wings of Villa’s wealthy owners; nonetheless, it is a fresh change to see Villa thinking outside the box and pushing the boundaries during the last two summer transfer windows. The morality of football has long gone; the club will have to get in the mud and fight dirty to sustain an assault on the wealthiest clubs.
Pre Season Fixtures
The clichés are already out in full force with ‘valuable minutes in the tank’ making an appearance on the club’s social media, and while it is of course true, the fans have been to a mixed bag of games so far against Wasall, Hansa Rostock, and St. Louis City SC. The side was potentially weaker than some may have expected in the firs two games, but the interest will perk up once the team returns from their US tour and plays in their final warm-up games against Marseille, Villarreal and Roma, before kicking off the Premier League season against the Toon.
Home Comforts
Despite deserving to take more from the game, the home defeat to Arsenal last season was the only league defeat suffered at Villa Park. Overall, Villa’s home form under Unai Emery has been rock-solid, and if his side are to challenge for a top five space again next season, then having a fortress at Villa Park is like having Goran Ivanisovic’s serve; it can take you far and cover up other deficiencies.
Although Villa’s first home game is a tricky one, Newcastle United are a side that Villa have punished at Villa Park on a couple of occasions in the last two years. So, assuming the home record is intact after the first game, then there is no reason that the run can’t go on a lot longer with Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Burnley as the next visitors.
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Reinforcements
Anyone expecting more incomings so far in this summer period would be ignoring the fact that Villa were never in a position to strengthen in June or July due to various financial restrictions. Now, as August begins, it is becoming clear that before any meaningful additions arrive, the fringe players need to be moved on. Gradually, they are being shown the door with Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Phillippe Coutinho, Kourtney Hause and Robin Olsen already off the books. The likes of Alex Moreno, Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey are potentially to follow, which should provide room for an incoming player or two.
So far, the only incoming has been the addition of a potentially very solid goalkeeper to the ranks in Marco Bizot; whether he becomes the first choice keeper or a back-up will depend on Emi Martinez’s next move. So far, the Argentine keeper remains a Villa player, and that can only be good news.
While we await out-goings to appease UEFA’s rules, the good news is there is no doubt that Emery and Monchi’s recruitment team are working overtime on incomings, so the most fun part of the summer is still ahead for fans.
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