Leon Bailey has pinpointed the key to Aston Villa’s Champions League hopes after their 4-2 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Bailey was one of the stars of the show at Villa Park as they overcame Forest in the Premier League. The victory was vital to Birmingham’s side’s ambitions this season as they look to secure Champions League football.
The three points helped give Villa some breathing room as Man United’s defeat to Fulham extended the gap to sixth place to eight points.
A win also ended their losing streak at Villa Park which lasted three games and throughout all of 2024.
Now, with the Champions League in Villa’s hands, Bailey has highlighted what the squad need to do to reach their ambitions.
‘Consistency is key’ for Aston Villa
Villa have been on a roll in recent weeks. After the defeat against Man United, they have bounced back perfectly.
Unai Emery’s side has overcome two ties that could have caused problems to take maximum points.
Now, Bailey believes Villa need to maintain these standards if they are to reach the Champions League come the end of the season.
On finishing in the top four he told Match of the Day: “That’s the goal for us, we want to be in the Champions League next season. The key is to be consistent and take it step by step.”
Aston Villa need to maintain the standards they have set
Villa showed in the first half against Forest how good they can be. They utterly dominated the visitors for 40 minutes and could have been more than 3-0 up.
The squad’s one-touch football caused all types of problems. Bailey, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn were all sharp and, at times, were unplayable.
However, the performance also showed their weaknesses. Set-pieces continue to be the side’s bain. The hosts also switched off at key moments, which, on another day, could have cost them the win.
Consistency, not just game-to-game but minute-to-minute is key to Villa’s Champions League hopes. They certainly have the capability to do it and hopefully, Emery can ensure it happens.
