Aston Villa’s form has dropped off recently but that hasn’t stopped many of Unai Emery’s players from standing out.
The Villans are winless in their previous five matches in all competitions, including back-to-back defeats in the Premier League against Tottenham and Liverpool.
Unai Emery will therefore feel that November’s international break will have come at the right time for Aston Villa, as it gives them time to assess what’s going wrong and get some of their injured players back.
The Premier League table is currently very congested, with Chelsea in 3rd to Villa in ninth separated by a single point, and the hope is that Emery’s troops will kick on after the break.
Supporters have also witnessed some incredible performances at the start of 2024/25 as multiple first-teamers have flourished.
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Aston Villa’s top five performers of the 2024/25 season revealed
Some of Villa’s new signings have struggled for game time in the top flight, most notably Ian Maatsen, who should start as a left winger against Crystal Palace.
Fortunately, the positives outweigh the negatives when analysing the squad as a whole, and Sofascore have collated the average rating of every Aston Villa player in the 2024/25 season.
Villa’s best players on the list unsurprisingly include some popular names, with Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers and Amadou Onana all making the top five.
| Player | Rating |
| Youri Tielemans | 7.46 |
| Lucas Digne | 7.05 |
| Jacob Ramsey | 7.02 |
| Morgan Rogers | 6.97 |
| Amadou Onana | 6.97 |
For many of the above players, there can be no question marks over their inclusions. Tielemans and Rogers have arguably been Emery’s best players while Digne’s improvement in a Villa shirt has been immense.
But there are also several who perhaps felt they should been in the top five, none more so than goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
Emi Martinez unlucky to miss out on the top five
Martinez recently won the Yashin trophy for the second year running, confirming him as the best goalkeeper on the planet.
Most of that recognition comes from his performances on the international stage, as he helped Argentina win the Copa America.
However, the former Arsenal man is also exceptional at club level, with Gary Lineker lauding Martinez as one of the world’s best after the win over Bayern Munich.
There aren’t many goalkeepers in the Premier League, or perhaps even the world, who command as much presence in the box as the 32-year-old.
Martinez – who has been dubbed ‘world-class’ – rarely ever lets his team down by making a mistake and he’s consistently reliable.
He is joined by the likes of Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Pau Torres who can feel hard done by not to have made the top five.
