The Good, Bad and Ugly of Villa’s 2024
With 2024 now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to reflect on the highs and lows that made Aston Villa fans punch the air – and sometimes the wall. Here’s the Good, Bad, and Ugly of the year.
The Good
It doesn’t get much better than being at Villa Park and hearing the Champions League anthem ring out in the flesh, a moment made sweeter by the team’s largely impressive performances in Europe.
Qualifying for the Champions League was achieved in traditional Villa fashion – just like in 1981, when the league title hinged on Ipswich losing to Middlesbrough, fans were sweating over Tottenham’s result against Manchester City to secure their European spot.
No doubt the standout moment was the full circle of Aston Villa beating Bayern Munich 1-0 and echoing their most famous scoreline.
While it didn’t earn them the trophy, it showed the heights Villa can reach with proper management and infrastructure. Jhon Durán’s audacious lob over Manuel Neuer felt like a “Where were you?” moment—a glimpse of what this team is capable of.
Villan of the Year – Youri Tielemans
From looking and playing like someone who only used to be good in his first few months at Villa, he has blossomed into the maestro of the Villa midfield. Initially signed to ultimately replace Douglas Luiz, the Belgian international is key to Villa hitting their higher gears.
While other midfielders slot in around him, Tielemans became so vital that after being missed so badly in the European Semi-Final against Olympiacos, when push came to shove, he had to play an hour half-fit against Liverpool, scoring to help Villa over the line.
Tielemans is one of the key players in terms of Aston Villa’s ambitions in 2025.
The Bad
The difference in 2023 and 2024 in terms of results has mainly been down to how inexplicably bad Aston Villa have been in defence.
For a team boasting the best goalkeeper in the world, the goals conceded and the manner of them have been abysmal.
From having the second best record in the Premier League in the 2023 calendar year with a goal difference of +29, to being sixth best in 2024 with a -4 goal difference, the 33-goal swing is an astronomical drop-off.
People can argue over personnel, formation and tactics, but with the naked eye, it’s amateur league individual errors and lapses of judgement. Does the constant tinkering and rotation help? Probably not.
Every defender – Diego Carlos, Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash, Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen – has had moments of recklessness, and even Emi Martinez hasn’t been immune to mistakes. Also, these aren’t players who came to the club cheaply. A mere six clean sheets in 37 Premier League games in 2024 underlines the problem, with only two at the 19-game halfway point of this season.
To turn things around in 2025, sorting out the defence must be Unai Emery’s number-one priority.
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The Ugly
The acceleration of Aston Villa Football Club, to Aston Villa corporate fan fleecing machine, has been rapid and carried out at an inconsiderate and reputation-harming rate under the guise of “PSR” (Profitability and Sustainability Regulations).
While Aston Villa need to increase revenue streams to compensate for the massive increase in squad cost and wages, the grifting and focus on surface-level optics, like Times Square billboards and an anniversary game (where 6,500 fans will be blowing bubbles), has left many fans feeling the club is prioritising style over substance.
Even the much-celebrated Adidas deal feels hollow. The simple solution to Villa’s kit woes – partnering with a company one of the club’s owners has a share of – was spun as a stroke of marketing genius. Meanwhile, there’s no sponsor for the women’s kit, no training kit sponsor, no travel partners, and missed opportunities for partnerships that could dwarf ticket price income.
Instead, there’s the grim reality of members and general admission fans needing to shell out £94 for a chance to see a Champions League match at Villa Park. Yes, £94 to stand on the Holte. That’s over twice the cost of standing on the Kop at Anfield in the same competition.
While it’s a fight that some have taken on board, the fan base is far from united, and many have been seduced by the club’s commercial department achieving the bare minimum and dropping them a follow on social media.
The battle over the unnecessary exploitation of fans will continue into 2025, and perhaps when the on-pitch displays aren’t glossing over the problem, more will realise they’re being robbed in plain sight.
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