Aston Villa have enjoyed a fine start to the season as Unai Emery looks to again take the club to new heights.
Aston Villa fans adore Unai Emery and it is easy to see why given he has taken them from relegation fodder to the Champions League in less than two years.
A top four finish in the Premier League last season ensured Villa’s place in the Champions League and they kicked off their first appearance in the competition for 41 years with a 3-0 win over Young Boys last week.
The Villans have started the 2024/25 season brilliantly, winning five of their six games in all competitions, with Arsenal the only side to beat Emery’s men so far.
Gabby Agbonlahor now believes Aston Villa will finish in Premier League top four
Saturday’s 3-1 comeback win over Wolves took Villa to third in the Premier League, level on 12 points with Liverpool in second and one point behind Manchester City in first.
With a trip to newly-promoted Ipswich Town up next Villa could well end the next round of league fixtures top of the league before facing Bayern Munich in their first home game in the Champions League.
This is dreamland for anyone associated with the club and Villa’s record goalscorer Gabby Agbonlahor has now changed his mind on his pre-season prediction.
Ahead of the new campaign, Agbonlahor claimed he felt Villa’s Champions League exploits would see them fall short of another top four finish in the Premier League.
However, he has now performed a U-turn on TalkSPORT on Monday morning when talking to Jeff Stelling.
Stelling asked Agbonlahor: “Top four again?”
To which Agbonlahor responded: “Yes.”
Stelling followed up by asking: “You think so?”
Agbonlahor emphatically replied: ““I really do.
“I think, yes, injuries, you know, John McGinn is out, which will be frustrating for John McGinn.”
“He could miss the Bayern Munich game in ten days’ time, which will be a shame, leading Aston Villa out at home in the Champions League.
“As long as we don’t have too many injuries, I think we have got a very good squad of players that can fight on all fronts.
“Up the Villa, Jeff! Up the Villa!”
Aston Villa start to season better than 2023/24
Villa pipped Tottenham Hotspur to fourth spot in the league last season as their dramatic 3-3 draw with Liverpool in their penultimate league game was followed by Spurs losing to Manchester City the following night.
A 5-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on the final day meant Villa ended the season on 68 points, but at their current rate they would finish on an incredible 92 points which would have been enough to win the title last year.
Villa started last season with a 5-1 defeat to Newcastle United and won three of their first five league matches, losing two.
This season, Villa have won four and lost one, meaning they are three points better off than they were at the same stage last season.
There will undoubtedly be many ups and downs as Emery tries to get his side to compete on all fronts but Villa are showing they are here for the long haul.
