When predictions for Aston Villa’s 2024/25 campaign were made, one major concern was highlighted.
Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League last season after finishing in fourth position. Unai Emery then spent the whole of the summer adding depth to his squad ahead of a busy season.
A total of seven players arrived at Villa Park but one concern remained and that was how Emery was going to tackle a schedule that combined Premier League and European football.
Last season, Villa reached the Europa Conference League semi-final while finishing in the top four however, the Champions League is a different kettle of fish.
So, when issuing their predictions for the new season, many pundits – including Jamie Carragher – felt Aston Villa would find it difficult to compete across all fronts.
Predicting Emery’s men to finish in sixth position, Carragher said: “The reason why I’ve put them there (6th place), obviously they finished higher last season, I think it’ll be difficult.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team outside the so-called top six ever get into the Champions League and then get in again the next season.”
Opta predicts where Aston Villa finish in the final Premier League table
Heading into the 2024/25 campaign, Opta also felt Villa would drop down a few places due to their Champions League exertions, placing the Villans in eighth position.
Opta have since updated the table after the first five matches, and although Aston Villa have won four of them, they still think they’ll narrowly miss out on the top four.
A fifth place finish is forecasted for Aston Villa, predicting them to end the season level on points with Newcastle.
So far, Emery’s men have looked like proving the doubters wrong, securing four wins in the Premier League and a 3-0 victory over Young Boys on their return to Europe’s elite competition.
It’s only early days in the season but Villa look like a serious contender for the top four, with Carragher already discarding his pre-season prediction.
Aston Villa’s defence could prevent top four finish
Quality was added to the squad in the transfer window as the likes of Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley have started their Villa careers well however, neglecting the defence is already coming back to bite Emery.
Of course, they were restricted with the business they could do due to PSR but not improving his defence is proving a costly decision.
Last season, the Birmingham outfit shipped 63 goals in just 38 games and now – only five games in – Villa are yet to keep a clean sheet and only Jordan Pickford is worse than Emi Martinez for expected goals prevented.
Furthermore, with Emery already suffering injuries to Matty Cash and Diego Carlos, lack of defensive depth could be their Achilles heel this term in the hunt for Champions League football.
