Last week, Aston Villa won three-out-of-three games, scoring three goals in each of them. The club also made their Champions League bow away against Youngs Boys in Switzerland. There was another cup win in the League Cup. Despite high Champions League prices, life is all good as a Villan. Here’s the latest five reasons to be cheerful…
Men vs (Young) Boys
While it wasn’t a glamorous tie to kick off Villa’s first Champions League campaign since 1982/83, it was nonetheless a potential banana skin – and an important one at that. Unlikemany of last season’s Conference League matches, Unai Emery picked a strong side to ensure his men brought the three points back to Villa Park.
Villa’s biggest challenge was the artificial pitch, which certainly contributed to their slow start. However, once Youri Tielemans opened the scoring, Emery’s men took control, smothering Young Boys and cruising to a comfortable 3-0 victory. Next up: Bayern…
Ferocious Form
The opening five games of the season have pointed strongly to the fact that last season was not a fluke and that in fact this Villa team is aiming for even more. With four wins from five league games, Villa sits in third place with perhaps the most impressive performance coming in the defeat to Arsenal, which remains the only blemish on an otherwise perfect start. If they beat Ipswich this weekend, Villa would have won all five of their September fixtures.
Back Among the Goals
After a dry finish to last season and a disappointing start to the new season, Ollie Watkins continues his streaky record by scoring in two consecutive league games and having a goal (unfairly) disallowed against Young Boys. When he is on form, he tends to be on excellent form and it bodes well for the next few weeks, if Villa’s talisman is now on a run. This, coupled with the fact that Villa currently have two strikers on good goalscoring form will hopefully lead to a victory at Ipswich and strong performance against Bayern Munich.
Comeback Kings
It can’t be overstated how crucial it is for top-challenging teams to grind out wins. Some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s and Jose Mourinho’s best sides had an uncanny ability to dig deep and win at all costs. Last year, Villa managed to snatch some wins in the first half of the season, even when they weren’t playing particularly well. This season, however, Villa have generally performed well, and despite falling behind in their last two home league games, they’ve found a way to come back. There’s something different about this team; a steeliness and balance that promises to deliver another excellent campaign.
The One Percent Cup
While the game was dull and the performance mostly flat, Villa managed another win away at Wycombe this week. While the League Cup is the last of Emery’s priorities, there is no harm in winning a couple of games and suddenly finding yourself in the latter stages of a cup competition. Emery has been a revelation so far at Villa Park, and while he arrived as a cup expert, it’s the league performances that have impressed the most so far in his tenure. Fans wouldn’t turn their nose at winning the League Cup, especially given Villa’s rich history in the competition, but for the time being it will remain an inconvenience until there is a stronger whiff of silverware in the latter stages.
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