As Aston Villa have had their best top flight season for a number of years, they’ve managed to beat the big boys and end the season near the peak of the Premier League standings. Something for the club to continue to build on for the future.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Charlie, on to Aston Villa now, looking across their season as a whole. It's been their best
00:05 top flight season in a number of years. They've reached some fantastic heights under Unai
00:10 Emery and also getting him to sign that contract as well. So, looking back over this magnificent
00:17 season, this magnificent run they've had, what are the standout moments for you covering
00:23 Aston Villa and being involved at the club?
00:26 It's been so many. It's hard to pinpoint just one really. You can talk about Europe and
00:31 how it started away at Hibernian, a thrashing 5-0 win over it in Edinburgh to start that
00:37 campaign and then all the group matches, the trips across the continent. League Year Warsaw
00:42 was a fun one, AZ Alkmaar, you had Ajax as well. Obviously, that was a 0-0 draw away
00:47 from home but then winning comfortably at Villa Park against the European giants of
00:51 Ajax, what an impressive performance that was. What a night that was under the lights.
00:56 Just seeing all the fireworks, the European nights back at Villa Park I think were so
01:00 impressive. Back in the Premier League, beating Brighton Over Albion 6-1 at the start of
01:04 the season kind of set the tone for what should be an impressive year. I'm a Brighton fan
01:08 myself, that wasn't a very fun one in the press box myself but for Villa, just the hat-trick
01:14 for Ollie Watkins, going forward the likes of Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey, so, so impressive
01:19 and they've carried that on throughout the season. But the two 1-0 wins over Arsenal
01:24 and Manchester City in the same week in December, I think that's when people started to really
01:29 take the club seriously. At that point, there was actually a chance to go top at Christmas,
01:33 they failed to do that and then of course they lost the lead away at Manchester United
01:37 on Boxing Day, that could have got them to the top of the Premier League, they failed
01:41 to do that. But I don't think they were ever real title contenders because they just didn't
01:45 have the longevity and the injuries of course didn't help. But that's when people started
01:49 to properly think, 'OK, Villa could get in the Champions League here and now with one
01:53 game to go, they could genuinely do it.'
01:56 Multiple other players who've played into that fantastic attack and have been really
02:00 solid at the back as well, all round. What do you think the key to that has been? Is
02:05 it just the Unai Emery way of making sure that everywhere is so good and so consistent
02:10 throughout the entire season?
02:12 I think he hit the nail on the head really. It's Emery's consistency and his structure
02:17 and it's tempting sometimes to be a bit versatile with your tactics and changing formations
02:22 etc but it's rare that Emery does that. He only does it if he's forced to with injuries
02:26 and he's had quite a few to say the least. I think a lot of talk has been about the likes
02:30 of Man United and Newcastle and Chelsea with their injuries but Villa have been really hurt
02:35 by it as well. Losing Tyrow Mings and Emi Buendia at the start of the season, two key
02:40 players was not ideal. Jacob Ramsey as well, Bupukar Kamara out for the rest of the season.
02:46 These are very important players, starting players so to lose them and still be in a
02:51 top four battle, let alone finishing in it, is so, so impressive and that's down to Emery,
02:56 his tactics, his consistency and his belief in his players and his squad.