Aston Villa have had their hopes of finishing in a European spot analysed by journalist John Townley, who shared his reasons as to why he believes the Villans may struggle to secure top four.
Aston Villa have battled with the best in the Premier League this season, contending for a spot in the Champions League with nine games to go.
Unai Emery has been the driving force behind powering the Villans up to the heights of competing with the top clubs in the division, with Champions League qualification still in touching distance.
Despite stumbling in recent weeks and losing some ground in their lead over Spurs and Manchester United in the top-four race, Villa remain in control of their destiny for a European finish however, there is still a long way to go until the squad can take their foot off the gas.
Journalist shares his prediction on Aston Villa’s European chances
The damning 4-0 defeat to Tottenham followed by a dreary 1-1 draw with West Ham last time out saw Villa’s lead in fourth take a hit.
Luckily, the North Londoners have too fumbled in that time to see Villa remain as the side allocated to fourth place although, journalist John Townley has given a realistic assessment of the chances of Emery’s side claiming a European spot.
Speaking on the Claret and Blue Podcast in reaction to the draw at the London Stadium, Townley was asked to share a percentage measuring Villa’s chances of finishing in the top five.
“65%. I don’t want to be negative, I just think we’ve got a lot to do still.”
“I’m still confident that we will get top five and I think top four will be a flip of a coin between us and Spurs but I’m not ruling out Manchester United, I can’t do that.”
Aston Villa will face a battle to beat Manchester United and Spurs to fourth
It looks increasingly likely that England will be handed another place in next season’s Champions League, meaning that the top five clubs in the Premier League table would gain entry to the tournament.
That being said, Villa must rediscover their form in order to remain in the lead, with both Spurs and Manchester United aiming to secure a European spot.
While Emery’s side are currently three points ahead of Tottenham and nine points ahead of Manchester United, both of the clubs have a game in hand and are most prominently, not distracted by European involvement.
As seen against West Ham, the Villans looked slightly jaded following their 4-0 win over Ajax the Thursday before, with the Europa Conference League and Premier League juggling something that has seen clubs struggle to maintain before.
Emery himself understands how demanding the schedule can become having lost out on the Europa League final and the top four with Arsenal back in 2019.
Villa’s injuries and shrinking amount of depth could prove to be a critical weakness when combatting their Thursday and Sunday match pattern, at a time when every point is crucial with those behind them firmly focused on the Premier League.
One thing is for sure and that is that Villa are in a far better position than many would have anticipated at the start of the campaign, with the only wish now being for the Villans to secure a Champions League place for next term.
