Aston Villa completed their top-seven mission by qualifying for the Europa Conference League play-off round with a flurry of end-of-season victories. They will take part in UEFA competition for the first time in 13 years in 2023-24 — a considerable achievement given they were just three points off the bottom and a team under threat when Unai Emery took over in November.
The Spaniard inspired an incredible turnaround in form. His side won 10 of their last 15 Premier League matches to achieve their highest placing since 2010, carrying real momentum into the summer and the promise of much more to come next term.
This is the story of a season of resurgence.
The high point
It would be wrong to ignore Emery and everything he did to transform a Villa team who were on their knees when he arrived.
Alongside his elite coaching staff, Emery picked apart the problems that had beset the side during the latter days of Steven Gerrard’s tenure and struck upon a number of solutions that the players quickly took on board. He was the difference in Villa’s season — but there was another high point that should be mentioned.
When the CEO Christian Purslow was able to convince Douglas Luiz to sign up a new contract back in October; the importance of that deal went slightly overlooked.
Villa had rejected three bids for Luiz from Arsenal over the summer to keep him at the club and he went on to score six goals and set up six more before winning the award for both players’ player and supporters’ player of the year. Things could have been so different without him, or if he had not been engaged and felt secure at the club. Instead, he committed and was integral to everything this team achieved.
The low point
Fulham away. Villa were battered 3-0 and left languishing in major trouble. The Gerrard experiment had backfired and supporters hounded him out of the club with vociferous chanting from the away end.
To see a Premier League legend so broken as a manager was a sorry sight. Owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens called an emergency board meeting inside Craven Cottage and Purslow delivered the news to the manager before they departed the stadium.
Gerrard travelled back on the team bus after learning of his fate. It was brutal, but the only way to kickstart Villa’s recovery.
Goal of the season
Philippe Coutinho against Arsenal. Villa worked the ball from back to front in 19 seconds and the Brazilian supplied the final touch.
It started with Emi Martinez and Tyrone Mings before Boubacar Kamara took control, racing upfield as Arsenal backtracked. The passing sequence was precise, the movement calculated, and the then-Premier League leaders offered no resistance.
This was at a time when Alex Moreno, who provided the assist, was starting to come to life down Villa’s left. Check out Emi Buendia’s dummy-of-the-year winner, too.
It was a goal that highlighted how Villa were evolving under Emery, with belief coursing through the side.
Biggest issue they need to fix for next season
Who is going to score the goals if Ollie Watkins is not quite on top form?
The 27-year-old has been Villa’s go-to man this season, starting regularly under Emery and chipping in with 15 goals over the campaign. His development at Villa has been impressive and he’s one of only a handful of players who have scored over 10 goals in each of the last three Premier League seasons.
Clearly, though, Villa need additional support. With Danny Ings sold, the club will be looking to bring in a striker — or a winger who can also play centrally if required — as a priority.
They need to get that signing right.
Funniest moment
It had to be John McGinn’s reaction to Callum Wilson’s quotes before Villa battered Newcastle United 3-0 at Villa Park in April.
When Wilson was asked how to stop an “on fire” Villa, he said: “Call for the firefighters.”
Speaking after the win, McGinn was asked whether he had heard his opponent’s comments. He swiftly replied: “Like the rest of the emergency services at the minute, it looks like they were also on strike!”
A brilliant comeback.
Weirdest thing the manager said
Emery hasn’t got much wrong since arriving at Villa, but when he said that Emi Martinez was “not a time-waster” there were a few strange looks in the room.
The manager’s take was that, rather than specifically running down the clock in games, his goalkeeper was just waiting to find the right pass “to control the game, like we planned”.
Premier League match officials had other ideas, though, and have issued him with seven yellow cards for time-wasting this season.
GO DEEPER
Stop worrying about time-wasting – every team does it and it’s not getting (much) worse
Player the fans will happily never see again
Robin Olsen.
The backup goalkeeper made six appearances for Villa this season and conceded 14 times. He never exuded the same confidence as Martinez and his last start came in that humiliating 2-1 defeat to Stevenage in the FA Cup.
Villa need to strengthen in the goalkeeping department with Jed Steer leaving after 10 years, and they would be wise to also look for an upgrade on the 33-year-old Olsen.
Stat that sums them up
0.81 points per game under Gerrard in 2022-23. 1.96 points per game under Emery in 2022-23
Reason to be optimistic for next season
Villa have built a strong squad over the last few years and, on qualifying for Europe, Emery said: “The most important players are the ones already at the club.”
A tight-knit group has shown they can be trusted and, with the right additions, Villa can kick on to another level.
Owners NSWE are now preparing to strengthen further and will provide the funds to make Villa even more competitive next season. Having Emery on board, though, is the biggest reason to be optimistic.
Predicted finish for next season
Sixth. Which would represent improvement yet again.
GO DEEPER
Details, planning, meetings: The Unai Emery method for building a good team
(Top photo: Barrington Coombs/PA Images via Getty Images)