Aston Villa being in the Premier League title race is the main talking point on everyone’s lips at the moment and former striker Chris Sutton has given his verdict.
Many supporters and players, including John McGinn, are avoiding the title discussion and would prefer to fly under the radar.
After Aston Villa beat Manchester City and Arsenal, this noise has become more amplified and rightly so.
Unai Emery has led his side on a record-breaking run with 15 consecutive home wins and such form has seen the Spaniard transform Villa Park into a fortress, with the players feeding off the cauldron of noise created by their exuberant support.
Naturally, when a team is third in the table and two points off the summit, talk of the title is something that goes hand in hand with that success.
That has seen many pundits, including Chris Sutton, have their say on Villa’s chances.
How does Chris Sutton rate Aston Villa’s title chances?
Former striker Chris Sutton has pointed towards Villa’s relentless consistency under Emery and the fact there isn’t a ‘stand out’ team as reasons why he believes that they cannot be ruled out of the title equation.
Speaking on BBC’s Monday Night Club, he said: “They lost to Liverpool, well, big wow, Liverpool can beat anybody on their day,”
“The fact that they are two points off the top of the table at this moment in time shows you that the consistency has been there in the main.”
When Micah Richards implied that their form may not be sustainable, he replied: “I’m not saying they’re going to win the league,
“If they maintain the form, we’re nearly halfway through the season as they have done, they will be there and thereabouts, that’s what I’m saying.”
Despite rating their chances highly, whether they have a shot at winning the title could all boil down to their business in the transfer window.
Do Aston Villa need to strengthen?
Villa have already been linked with a whole host of names, including midfielder Alex Baena and winger Assane Diao, ahead of January.
Those are two positions, in particular, that Emery needs to strengthen.
The Spanish tactician is currently light on options in the wide areas which has seen him play John McGinn on the left side of midfield in recent weeks.
But if they were to sign Diao, as rumoured, they would have a fast and direct option to bring on to change the game.
This is the main issue that Emery needs to resolve. There will come a time when he needs to look to his bench for inspiration and currently, there aren’t many options in attack to choose from.
Whilst it isn’t a current issue, adding further quality can give them the edge over their opposition in matches.
