The defeat at home to Everton presented the perfect opportunity for the team to wilt. Losing Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn in the space of a week with Amadou Onana still on the mend seemed like a recipe for disaster; however, once again this side has found the mettle to bounce back and grind out two incredibly difficult away ties. After two excellent results on the road, here are five reasons to be cheerful as Villans.
Tam To Shine
Ollie Watkins’ goal at Newcastle was important both for the side and the player, as his performance aside from the goal was difficult to endure. The truth is that while he has suffered a very difficult campaign, he has carried the pressure of scoring the vast majority of the team’s goals for a number of years, and the arrival of Tammy Abraham should bring some relief. Tammy’s return will bring added nostalgic value from his promotion-winning spell, which will hopefully buoy the squad and fans alike for the remainder of the season. Tammy does have a tendency to miss chances, much like Watkins himself, but his role as a ‘fox in the box’ could yield some success with the volume of promising positions that the current side is wasting.
Sob On The Tyne
After a twenty-year-long wait, Unai Emery has extinguished another frustrating hoodoo by beating Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Following on from a disappointing defeat at Everton, the match on Tyneside could become a pivotal moment as a second consecutive defeat would have seen more of the chasing pack breathing down Villa’s neck. A deserved victory and another cursed ground conquered. Plus, the Toon are surely toast in terms of them catching Villa in the league this season.
Turkish Delight
Given the injury crisis facing Villa’s midfield and with key players dropping like flies, the last thing that anyone needed was a trip to fiery Fenerbahçe. Emery fielded a relatively strong side and welcomed back Tyrone Mings after a lengthy lay-off. Apart from a spell in the second half where the hosts made a push for the equaliser, Emery’s men looked to carve their opposition open with every attack.
The win secured a top eight finish in the league stage and Villa’s place in the last sixteen, and has removed any urgency or pressure from the remaining home game against Salzburg. While finishing in the top two of the league phase would be a bonus in securing the second leg of all ties until the final to be played at Villa Park, the hard graft in the league phase has already been done. The team can now focus on securing its top four position until March when the Europa League returns.
Looking Up
Once again, the teams around Villa have dropped points and coupled with a phenomenal away win at Newcastle means that Villa fans can look up rather than looking over their shoulder. Manchester United and Chelsea did win their matches but the distance is large enough for the time being to instead turn focus to the two teams currently above us. While Emery is absolutely right to dismiss the title claims and simply focus on the next game, there must be a part of him that believes there’s a chance of achieving the impossible?
Crunch Time
The December to January fixture list included incredibly difficult matches away at Brighton, Chelsea, Arsenal, Palace, and Newcastle, as well as home games against Arsenal and Manchester United. Amazingly, the side has held its own and still finds itself level in second place with free-spending Manchester City.
The next five league games are ‘winnable’, meaning that they are against sides that are below Villa. As has often been the case in the past, these are the moments where this team has struggled. The next match against Brentford at Villa Park will be challenging, but the Bees’ away form is among the worst in the league this season, so hopefully it proves to be the start of another long run of home victories.
UTV
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We’d be doing even better if the likes of Arsenal, Spuds and Newcastle weren’t kicking our players to bits.
True