Aston Villa’s remarkable turnaround in recent years has been laid bare after Micah Richards’ recent comments on Match of the Day top 10s.
Unai Emery’s men are currently riding high near the top end of the Premier League and enjoying a record-breaking season.
Ollie Watkins now has the most goal contributions for the club in a single Premier League season and is just one goal shy of Christian Benteke’s all-time record.
Furthermore, the Villans have also broken their record for the most home goals scored in any of their Premier League campaigns. Their previous best was the 1992/93 season.
The 2023/24 success has been made all the sweeter due to what the club has been through in recent years.
Micah Richards’ comments show how far Aston Villa have come in recent years
Former Villan Micah Richards was part of the side that finished rock bottom of the league on 17 points.
It was a truly disastrous campaign. Villa’s 17 points rank them among the worst in top-flight history, and Richards has suggested that there’s one man to blame.
Talking on Match of the Day’s Top 10s, he said: “It was tedious. I sat down with Tim Sherwood, and he said Delph is staying; he then went to Manchester City. He said if Benteke leaves, we’ve got Adebayor coming in, we’ve got Aaron Lennon because of the Spurs connection.
Premier League bottom three – 2025/15
| Position | Games | GD | Points |
| 18. Newcastle United | 38 | – 21 | 37 |
| 19. Norwich City | 38 | – 28 | 34 |
| 20. Aston Villa | 38 | – 49 | 17 |
“Honestly, around November [we were in trouble]. When Remi Garde came in – and I wouldn’t say I like slaughtering managers – I was like, you’ve got a pedigree. We thought he was going to bring something different. It was like ABC 123 stuff. It was shambolic. There was a divide in the dressing room. We had the French boys and English boys; we just knew we were doomed.”
Micah Richards’ Remi Garde statement rings true
It’s hard to argue with Richards’ assessment of Garde’s tenure.
Villa scored just 27 goals during the 2015/16 season and conceded a monumental 76. Just three wins laid bare just how poor things were.
The club’s current situation would’ve been unimaginable during those dark times nine years ago.
The current ownership’s ambition and desire to compete with the Premier League’s elite has seen a shift in mentality occur. Never again will the Villans find themselves posting such a measly points total.
