Five Reasons to be Cheerful as Villa Fans
The slow summer transfer window has led to a troubled start to the new season, but reinforcements are on their way. Villa have failed to score in the opening three matches, two of which have fallen against sides that have themselves sold key players during the transfer window. But with thirty five games remaining and their position as favourites for the Europa League (at least with the bookies), can Jadon Sancho, Harvey Elliot, Victor Lindelof and co, fire-up Villa after the international break. Here are this week’s Five Reasons To Be Cheerful:
Window Shopping
Unai Emery has admitted that the final weeks of the transfer window had unsettled players and affected the team’s preparations. Now it’s shut, it should allow the team to reset and focus on the four months ahead before the January window opens again. As poor as the start has been, there are 35 games to play and Unai Emery certainly has credit in the bank. Emery’s tenure has largely been positive, but he has reacted well to adversity, so far – from the three straight league losses in February 2023 to the spell of eight winless games in an all competitions at the tail end of last year. He turned around each dodgy spell in smart fashion, and last season, Villa finished the season very strongly, after their blip.
International Break Reset
International breaks have previously been a hinderance when it comes to Villa’s progress, whether it’ss key players picking up injuries or breaking up the momentum of a good run. This latest break though, which includes an England game at Villa Park, could not have been better timed.
Unai Emery gets a vital couple of weeks to mull over Villa’s poor start to the season and allow Villa’s deadline day signings time to settle and get up to speed tactically. All in, hopefully, it’s a chance to reset and go again.
Martinez Refocus
Speaking of the International break, it also provides Emi Martinez with a chance to decompress and refocus, while he’s away on international duty with Argentina, after his failed move away on deadline day. Martinez was publicly left with egg on his face, after Ruben Amorim and Manchester United led him up the garden path to what is now a thorny situation with Villa fans.
As mentioned on the My Old Man Said podcast, a couple of weeks ago, it’s fair to say that Martinez hasn’t been popular with his teammates in recent months, but he does have the opportunity to make amens during the rest of the season (as long as he doesn’t disappear off to the Turkish or Saudi leagues, which is unlikely). If he builds those bridges quickly, he can refocus on his original plan of winning a trophy with the club, to add to his fulfilled ambition of playing in the Champions League with Villa.
Let’s not forgot, it’s ultimately what happens on the pitch that should matter to supporters, rather than any soap opera off it.
Europa League Redemption Path
It is evident now that Aston Villa have adopted many of Chelsea’s approaches in the accountancy department to ensure compliance with spending restrictions. Judging by the first three league games, the same approach of copying blueprints, seems to have been adopted on the pitch, as Manchester United and Tottenham clearly set the precedent last season for alternative European success. Both sides were abysmal domestically and yet managed to bore fans all the way to a boring ‘el Crapico’ final, that sent Tottenham into the Champions League with a big trophy to boot.
Villa have had two consecutive seasons of good European football experience, so it should set them up nicely to navigate their way to a Europa League final against Nottingham Forest, should it all go wrong in the league.
Go Away Eagles
After last weekend confirmed the Palace curse continues, lets all just be grateful that the seemingly ‘top six’ centric rules of football kicked Crystal Palace out of the Europa League this season, as we all know how it would have ended.
UTV
Additional reporting MOMS
Follow Armen on Twitter/X here – @VillanArmen
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