Aston Villa are about to enter new territory in the 2024/25 campaign – a daunting yet exciting prospect as the club finally enjoy the fruits of last season’s labours.
So far Unai Emery’s side have been eased back into competitive action, taking two wins from their opening three Premier League fixtures. But upon returning from the international break, matters are due to become that much more challenging as they begin to compete on three fronts at once.
First there is the long-awaited return of Champions League football to the club’s schedule, made possible by last year’s top-four finish, and soon after the League Cup will demand even more of the players. To compete, the club have utilised the transfer market to its full extent this summer, yet still this venture into the unknown has made Villa quite hard to land a prediction for in the new season.
Was the upsetting of the establishment only a one-off occurrence, or are back-to-back top-four finishes a truly attainable prospect? Will the new recruits live up to weighty expectations? Only time will provide full answers, but even in the burgeoning weeks of the 2024/25 campaign have the experts seen glimpses of a response from the team with multiple critics and admirers.
Gary Neville – “Champions League takes its toll”
Last season Gary Neville had a vision of the magic Emery could work in his first full season at Villa Park, placing them sixth in his prediction with one match played. They would go on to exceed even this lofty expectation.
But the Sky Sports pundit wasn’t so confident in the same position last month, thinking the extra competition and fixture congestion will help derail this season’s push to maintain standards.
“I just purely think Champions League the first season back for a club like Aston Villa, the emotional toll it takes on people,” he explained. “It just drains you completely to the ground and we’ve seen it many times before.
“They have added to the squad, they have got a serious manager who knows how to do this and I actually love Villa – I thought they were brilliant on Saturday [vs West Ham]. The game this Saturday, Aston Villa v Arsenal, will be a brilliant game, but I just feel that sometimes that Champions League takes its toll.”
Jamie Carragher – “Only Pep Guardiola who is a better manager”
Speaking alongside Neville, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher disagreed. He believes a top six finish is achievable this season, and it comes down to Emery’s skills once again.
He said: “The reason I put them there – obviously they finished higher last season – is it’ll be difficult. I don’t think we’ve seen a team outside the so-called ‘top six’ get into the Champions League and then get in again the next season. I think it will be massive if Villa can get in there again.”
“But, what I want to say for the reason I have still put them up there in the European positions is the manager. We said this last season, now [Jurgen] Klopp’s left, there’s probably only Pep Guardiola who is a better manager than Unai Emery – or at least has a better CV.”
Paul Scholes – “I don’t really see”
Perhaps with the benefit of hindsight Man United legend Paul Scholes could reassess his pre-season thoughts of Amadou Onana – Villa’s most expensive summer signing at £50m.
“I don’t really see the Onana thing either. I didn’t see it while he was at Everton, I didn’t see it at Belgium either. When they said £50m for him I just thought: ‘ooh, that sounds a little bit too much’,” he responded to the news.
“Look, (Unai) Emery being the manager that he is, he might get something out of him. It might be a club that suits him – I don’t know. But, where I’m stood now, £50m for him just seems like a lot of money.”
So far Emery has managed to get a roaring tune out of the 23-year-old, with his height and presence in midfield already a key element of the club’s early successes. Two goals to his name contributing towards both victories so far has dampened the loss of Douglas Luiz in a summer move to Juventus.
Jamie Redknapp – “They’ll be talking about him”
And finally another standout performer within the Villa ranks has been Morgan Rogers. The 22-year-old has not needed to prove doubts wrong in the same manner his Belgian team-mate has, but is finally getting deserved recognition for his efforts.
“There are a lot of things you love about him. I enjoyed lots of his performances last season when he got into the Villa team. Not many players of his size possess that amount of skill, pace and power,” Jamie Redknapp raved, speaking on Sky Sports after witnessing his performance against Arsenal.
“It’s so difficult to stop. He gave Thomas Partey nightmares. He turned Declan Rice inside out about three times. He was just unplayable. He was absolutely magnificent.
“At 22 years of age, he was just brushing people away. It was like watching Jonah Lomu in his prime. It seems to suit him in a central position. Thomas Partey is a very strong guy, but he just brushed him aside time after time. Lee Carsley has to be looking at him, surely.
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