The VTID – Up the 2024/25!
Former Aston Villa shareholder and long-term season ticket holder Jonathan Northall takes over the reins of the VTID weekly column, ahead of what is the most anticipated Villa season for a generation or two.
By Jonathan Northall
With less than 24 hours to go until Villa’s most exciting season in years kicks off, preseason is finally over (thank goodness), and now we can start worrying in earnest. Let’s face it, you’re already doing it. We have the thrill of Champions League football ahead, alongside significant changes in personnel. It wouldn’t be Aston Villa without a bit of drama, and honestly, we love it. Kind of.
The Germans
First off, can we all agree that we need to avoid Bundesliga teams in the Champions League draw? Both Leipzig and Dortmund are formidable sides, and they could make for some tough midweek fixtures once the euphoria of hearing the Champions League anthem fades. It would help if we avoided giving away penalties, making poor passes, or picking up needless red cards. Still looking at you, Diego.
Two areas that concern me heading into the season are the goalkeeping and striker situations. Both depend heavily on key players staying fit; otherwise, we could be really exposed. It was reassuring to see Emiliano Martinez back in goal against Dortmund, even if the result didn’t change. There’s something comforting about seeing ‘Martinez’ at the top of the team sheet every game. Backup keepers rarely offer the same presence, and Dibu sets an incredibly high bar.
No.2 Needs
In Martinez’s absence, we’d have to rely on either Joe Gauci (not Gucci yet) or Robin Olsen, and that’s not exactly thrilling. Gauci’s A-League experience isn’t comparable to the Premier League, and with Olsen, we all know what to expect—goals, goals, goals, and not in a good way. Olsen conceded 2.90 goals per 90 minutes of Premier League football last season. For comparison, Martinez allowed just 1.43. It’s woeful when stacked against Arsenal’s David Raya (0.75) and Aaron Ramsdale (0.83), or Manchester City’s Ederson (0.87) and Stefan Ortega (0.99). Hopefully, Villa looks to the transfer market to secure a more reliable backup. Gauci may be one for the future, but we need a solid performer right now.
Just as Martinez is critical to Villa’s success, Ollie Watkins needs to be wrapped in ‘cotton wool’ between games. With Jhon Durán’s situation still unclear, keeping Watkins fully fit is essential. Either we sell Durán and replace him now, or he needs to realise which claret-and-blue team will give him the best chance for success. Durán scores once every 118 minutes of Premier League football; for comparison, Harry Kane scored once every 127 minutes last season. Now, I’m not saying Durán is better, but the point is that he scores regularly. This season could be perfect for him at Villa—if only he’d realise it.
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Young Gun Status
Cameron Archer remains an enigma in a Villa shirt. Just when it seems he’s ready to stake his claim for first-team football, he becomes the embodiment of inconsistency. For those tempted to look up ‘profligacy’ in a dictionary, it might as well say, “see Cameron Archer.”
Ultimately though, Archer needs games and being left out of the Villa squad this weekend indicates he will seek them at Southampton in a mooted £15m move (UPDATE: Villa have confirmed his sale to the Saints).
It’s interesting to note that Lewis Dobbin has been loaned to West Brom. Part of the long-term strategy of acquiring young players, getting them experience, and seeing how they develop. Or simply confirmation he was a PSR pawn?
While Kaine Kesler-Hayden has been loaned out to Preston North End to get experience away from Villa Park, both Samuel Iling-Junior or Jaden Philogene look to be part of the matchday squad. It speaks to the Emery/Monchi master plan—keeping Villa in the top four and building a regular Champions League team through investment, development, and strategy.
Hammer Time
Now, our attention turns to Saturday’s match against West Ham United. Whatever the outcome, it won’t necessarily be a barometer for the entire season. I suspect there will be goals, and it will likely end in a draw. It’s going to be exciting to see how Villa lines up: how many of the new signings will start and what formation Emery chooses. The start of a new season is always thrilling, and there’s so much to enjoy. My personal favourite is reading ‘expert’ league table predictions and passionately disagreeing with how low they rank Villa.
Until next time… UTV!
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