Every team goes through a bad run of form and it’s Aston Villa’s turn to suffer through the hardships of losing football matches.
Unai Emery’s men started the campaign in excellent form, producing a run of 11 matches without tasting defeat in all competitions, including Villa’s amazing 1-0 triumph over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Since drawing at home to Bournemouth at the end of October, though, Aston Villa have lost each of their last four matches, most recently a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Emery was left fuming after the Liverpool loss, as a crucial decision went against his side, with Conor Bradley pulling Pau Torres’ shirt inside the penalty box.
A chance to score from 12 yards could have shifted the momentum in his side’s favour but defeat left them in ninth position, albeit one point behind third-place Chelsea in a tightly congested Premier League table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 7 |  FulhamFulham | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 18 |
| 8 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 18 |
| 9 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 18 |
| 10 |  TottenhamTottenham | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 16 |
Opta shares 2024/25 Premier League table prediction as Aston Villa tipped to finish seventh
Ahead of the new Premier League campaign, Villa were warned by Jamie Carragher how hard they would find it competing across multiple fronts.
Carragher predicted Villa to finish in sixth position, with Opta sharing a similar viewpoint in September, as they placed Emery’s men in fifth.
- READ MORE: Aston Villa pre-season fears ring true as Opta reveal updated final Premier League table forecast
Fast forward another two months and amid the recent poor run of form, Opta Analysts supercomputer has predicted a seventh-place finish for Emery’s men after simulating the season another 10,000 times.
For a side with ambitions of ending the campaign in the Premier League’s top four come May, it will be disappointing for many fans to see them miss out by a couple of places.
Many factors have perhaps been taken into consideration with their prediction, including the transfer window, with Villa needing to sell before they can buy new players in January.
Further, should Villa progress into the knock-out stages of the Champions League, fatigue could set in and most could struggle to maintain their level.
Unai Emery is key to Aston Villa’s success
Supporters won’t be worried about their current form, as while four defeats on the bounce should be a concern, they’re still only a point behind the top four.
At this stage of the season, it’s anyone’s guess as to who finishes in the Champions League places and there is one reason why Villa could be one of those teams – Emery.
The Spanish tactician is one of the best managers on the planet and he knows how to completely man-manage his squad while getting the best out of his players.
Also, some of his most important players such as Leon Bailey and John McGinn are yet to reach the heights of last term, and once they do, Emery’s tactics can drive this Villa squad into the top four.
The key thing they have to navigate is a hectic fixture schedule but that is why the Spaniard assembled a competitive squad.
