Alan Shearer has claimed that Aston Villa won’t win the Premier League title but does believe they will finish in the top four this season.
Aston Villa have sent out a statement to their divisional rivals in recent weeks with Unai Emery orchestrating a tactical masterclass.
Villa have won consecutive games against the two best teams in the league, toppling the champions and the league leaders Arsenal, both by a 1-0 scoreline – achieving history in the process.
Whilst they dominated in the victory over Manchester City and restricted Pep Guardiola’s side to just two shots, the win over the Gunners saw them have to grind out a result and show another side to their game.
Despite showing their credentials as title challengers in the early stages of the season, Alan Shearer doesn’t believe that Villa can emulate Leicester’s 2016 heroics, although he has still directed praise towards Emery following their incredible start.
Alan Shearer thinks Aston Villa will qualify for the Champions League
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer said:
“My belief is and they’re amazing, he’s doing an unbelievable job is Unai Emery. Once they get back to January their squad will be pushed to the limit because of so many games. They can certainly push for the top four – title no.”
Whilst there has been sustainability in their current level of performances, Shearer doesn’t believe they can sustain it for the duration of the season.
The Englishman has accepted that Villa will struggle to compete when it comes to the business end of the campaign, especially given the strength of their rivals.
Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool all have strength in depth, especially at the top end of the pitch, and that is the major concern for the Villans.
Is Shearer correct to rule Aston Villa out of the title reckoning?
Despite just securing two mammoth victories, no one of a Villa persuasion is getting carried away with the hype, and they’re just happy to be in the mix.
After years of hurt under previous managers and owners, even challenging for the Champions League is a feat in itself, never mind the title.
That said, the Christmas period will really test Emery’s squad to the maximum and rotation will be needed.
Unfortunately, Villa don’t boast the level of quality in reserve – like Man City and Liverpool do – but they have shown more fight and desire to win matches, as demonstrated by the sensational performances of John McGinn.
At this current stage, the Villans are in the mix but it would take something unbelievable, as Shearer alluded to, for them to win the title.
