Aston Villa make up for lost time under Steven Gerrard as Unai Emery sets new challenge

Unai Emery has transformed Aston Villa in just five months and supporters are pinching themselves at the club’s remarkable turnaround.

Since winning promotion back to the Premier League, fans have questioned how long it would take for Villa to compete in the top half of the division, with the likes of Leicester City, Wolves and West Ham all initially appearing to have grasped their opportunity to qualify for Europe and become the ‘best of the rest’. Those three clubs now face the very real prospect of relegation to the Championship, while Villa stage their assault on the top seven.

There’s a plan in place for Villa to qualify for Champions League football in the coming years. What that means is, Villa would have to qualify for European football, continue to perform in the league, and consistently challenge across all competitions just like a ‘top six’ club, but unlike other teams who have enjoyed no more than a few seasons challenging amongst the upper echelons of the top-flight and have failed to make their progress count.

Since Emery’s return to Premier League management, only league leaders Arsenal have won more league points than Villa, while the Spaniard has won more points away from home than any other team in the division, with every one of their wins on the road coming under Emery.

He is the perfect fit for Villa and Villa is the perfect fit for him. Results have shown that Emery is capable of guiding Villa to Europe, while he is working with a squad who he has barely adapted to his liking and has only taken charge of 16 league games.

After collecting 32 points from a possible 48 after just five months in charge, Emery is making the Villa fanbase dream again. V Sports’ ambitious plans are certainly exciting and while the club is yet to finish in the top half of the Premier League since 2011, supporters are bound to get giddy when Villa move into the top half with the end of the campaign in sight, but this feels different.

In a season where Villa only won two of their first 11 matches and failed to beat and or lost to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest under previous manager Steven Gerrard, it’s quite remarkable that Villa are in the conversation for European qualification. Coupled with the terrific seasons which Newcastle United, Brighton, Brentford and Fulham have enjoyed, not many saw Villa coming; yet here they are.

After weeks of positive results, Villa remained in 11th position for what felt like an eternity, but after beating Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge last weekend, their patience to finally break into the top half was rewarded by leapfrogging Graham Potter’s side and Fulham. Liverpool, Brentford and Brighton made up positions eight, seven and six.

Then, a dramatic 2-1 win at Leicester City on Tuesday night saw Villa jump up to seventh in the table, with only six points now separating the club from the Champions League places.

Villa face Liverpool, Brentford, Brighton, Newcastle and Fulham in the final weeks of the season, so while their destiny isn’t completely in their hands – with Liverpool and Brighton having more games to play than Villa – Emery’s side will remain firmly in the hunt for European football if their recent run of form continues.

The final stretch of the season continues with a home game against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Emery wants Villa to consolidate their position in the top 10 and not get carried away with recent form, but has admitted European qualification is on the cards.

“We’re competing with very big teams and it will be difficult to keep this position but we have possibilities if we keep being competitive and fighting like we are now,” he said on Tuesday.

“We’re being very demanding every day in training and when we are preparing for matches to try and catch the teams that are in European positions.”

On Saturday he insisted: “We are not stopping. We are going to be very demanding to try and get three points, and to do better on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be a very good game. Leicester are at the bottom now but they’re playing at home. We have to rest and prepare well. We have a new objective now for our last matches in the Premier League and it’s in our hands now.”