Author: Guest Post
As we emerge from the final international window of the year, it’s hard not to think the break came at an opportune time for Aston Villa. It is a chance to take stock and for Unai Emery and his boffins to identify and find solutions that hopefully see us turn around a slightly concerning form slump. With our clean bill of health short-lived, and performances before the break lacking the verve and fluency to which we’ve become accustomed in the Emery era, some of our faithful have quickly grown restless. And with ten matches on the horizon before the new…
2022 is a very special year indeed for Aston Villa fans. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Villa’s iconic European Cup win in 1982. 40 years since Dennis Mortimer led the Villa team, which he captained, out to Rotterdam where they defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 after a now legendary goal by Peter Withe. Of the many events being held to celebrate the 40th anniversary some of the greatest celebratory events are being held at the Britannia Sports Bar. An informal BBQ was held at the Britannia Sports Bar with 10, yes 10! of the 1982 European Cup winning squad…
After winning at Old Trafford it was no surprise to see Dean Smith select the same starting eleven, sticking with the 3-5-2 formation that has produced some good results (and positive performances) in recent weeks. Just as the line-up was easy to predict it felt like Aston Villa’s preferred routes to goal were easily anticipated by Tottenham. For the first thirty minutes Aston Villa rarely looked to build play from the back instead preferring to play long balls up towards Ings and Watkins. This tactic worked fairly well against Manchester United (although it did leave them open on transition) but…
Aston Villa recorded their first win over Manchester United (and at Old Trafford) since their 0-1 victory in December 2009 thanks to a Kortney Hause header in the 88th minute. The fact that Dean Smith selected the defender (who would have been difficult to drop following an excellent display against Chelsea) was the first hint that the 3-5-2 formation could be one that is favoured going forwards. With Tuanzebe ineligible (against his parent club) Smith could easily have selected Buendia (or El Ghazi/Young/Traore – decent options now…) and changed back to the 4-3-3 formation that he favoured earlier on in…
As the 2015/16 Premier League season came to a close, even the most optimistic of Aston Villa fans could not deny that the future looked bleak for our football club. Finishing on a mere 17 points, the 4th lowest accumulated by a Premier League team, it was clear to see that something was very wrong, and the club was heading for an alarming spiral if not rectified quickly. With the clubs relegation confirmed, focus immediately had to shift to preparing for a cut-throat season in the EFL Championship, a league-best known for its extreme competitiveness with games coming thick and…
Despite our lacklustre end to the 20/21 EPL campaign, finishing in 11th place certainly shouldn’t have been something to be sniffed at for us Villa fans. It was Jack’s absence for the final third of the season that ultimately killed our momentum, as up until his shin injury picked up back in February prior to a 2-1 defeat to Leicester, we were in 8th spot with at least one game in hand over the teams around us. But for some of us to be mildly disappointed at a points haul of 55 last season is emblematic of how far we’ve…
With the European Championships coming to a conclusion, the Villa hierarchy will have one eye on next season. There is plenty going on behind the scenes at Bodymoor Heath with a number of players reporting back for pre-season training on Monday, July 5th. The club’s recruitment drive, spearheaded by Sporting Director Johan Lange, is still very much in motion with several positions still requiring additions to ensure Villa kick on next season. But what about Villa’s young lions? Will any of these players have a big part to play within the club moving forward? Well, if the recent news of…
At the start of the 2019/20 season and all the way through until Project Restart, Douglas Luiz was getting his fair share of criticism for his naive performances. Despite his flashes of brilliance (most notably his assist for Grealish at Brighton and his goals against Bournemouth and Norwich), the criticism he received was most often regarding his sometimes sluggish decisions and lack of consistency in games. Rightfully so should first-team footballers get criticised by their fans when their team isn’t playing well, and for Villa fans, that was most of the season in 2019/20, but the criticism was often quite…
In the age of mass-consumed football coverage, social media and dedicated team-focused reporting, the voice of a handful of journalists has never been so important for a club. This is especially true for a club like Aston Villa, not in the handful of clubs covered ad nauseam by the national press like Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea, but instead focused upon by just a handful of reporters. The Athletic is the first publication to dedicate one reporter to every Premier League team (and a small number of Championship teams), churning out content often tri-weekly in an attempt to quench the…
Watching Axel Tuanzebe pocket one of the best-attacking players in the world on Tuesday night at the Parc de Princes in Paris, the mind wandered to what more Villa could have done to keep the young defender. Composed, powerful and assured in his season and a half with Villa, there were well-documented efforts to sign Tuanzebe in last summer’s transfer window; efforts that were swiftly rebuffed by his parent club. In recent history, the situation has repeated itself time and again, with Tammy Abraham, Robert Snodgrass and Sam Johnstone not making the permanent move to Villa Park. Can Villa avoid…