After promotion from the Championship playoffs in 2019, Aston Villa are now entering their third consecutive season in a European competition, but how have they risen so quickly?
The Dean Smith Era
Following their 2-1 playoff win against Derby County, boyhood Villa supporter Dean Smith took his beloved club into the 2019/20 Premier League season with the aim of avoiding relegation. After recruiting younger players who could grow alongside the club in the summer transfer window, with the likes of Douglas Luiz and Ezri Konsa - Villa had an up and down season, but crucially avoided relegation on the final day with a 1-1 draw against West Ham.
In the 2020/21 season Smith signed Ollie Watkins, with the hopes that he would add some much needed goals that Villa lacked in the previous season. He certainly made his mark scoring 14 goals and 5 assists in his debut season, including a hat-trick in the famous 7-2 victory against Liverpool. The aim of the season was to re-establish themselves as a Premier League club and begin to climb up the table, which they achieved with an 11th place finish and a Carabao Cup final appearance, which they lost 2-1 to Manchester City.
Entering the 2021/22 season, Aston Villa lost their star player and captain Jack Grealish after Manchester City triggered his £100 million release clause, leaving Villa with a hole in their team. To replace him, they signed three players that they believed covered Grealish's key attributes - Danny Ings for his goals, Emiliano Buendia for his creativity and Leon Bailey for his assists. Although losing their main man, Villa fans were excited as to what the new season would bring.
In reality it was quite a turbulent season for the Villans, with a 3-2 defeat to Watford on the opening day and third round exit on penalties to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, Villa struggled to put together a consistent set of results. In November after five successive league defeats and the club in 16th place, just two points above the relegation zone, Dean Smith was sacked.
Steven Gerrard's Mixed Spell
After the sacking of Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard was appointed Aston Villa manager following a successful three-year stint at Rangers.
He started quite well, winning 3 of his first 5 Premier League games, and despite defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool the performances were much better than Villa's recent performances under Smith. However, throughout December to February Villa's form dipped, picking up only 4 wins in 13 matches. After nearly getting dragged into a relegation dogfight, Villa steadied the ship towards the end of the season and found some form to finish in 14th place.
Going into the 22/23 season Villa made nine signings hoping to make an improvement under Gerrard on their 14th place finish in the previous season. However, injuries to summer signings Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos early on in the season caused Aston Villa to make a slow start, only recording one win in their first five matches. Performances didn't really improve from then on and in October, Gerrard was sacked with Villa finding themselves in 17th place and managing to only secure 2 wins in the first 11 games.
The Transformation of Aston Villa under Unai Emery
When Unai Emery took over from Steven Gerrard in 2022, he set out two key objectives - the first being to win a trophy and the second was to qualify for Europe. Not many Villa supporters would have believed the latter would be achieved in the same season he joined, considering they were 17th when he was appointed, but very quickly Emery installed a philosophy that the players and fans bought into.
In his first match he defeated Manchester United 3-1 at home, the first time Villa had done so in the league since 1995. From then on he continued to break numerous records. Over the next 25 league games Villa won 15 of them, amassing 49 out of a possible 75 points with only Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United earning more in that time.
Changing the formation and style of play was vital in achieving those wins. Switching to a 4-2-2-2 and ensuring more possession meant Villa only conceded 7 goals in his first 7 games in charge. The number of goals scored increased as well with Villa setting a new record of scoring in each of Emery's first 20 games in charge, marking the longest streak at the start of a managerial tenure in the Premier League. Aston Villa finished in 7th place at the end of the season with a points tally of 61 points, their highest since 2009, and they even secured European football for the first time since the 2010/11 season.
With the Europa Conference League and the Premier League to balance, the 2023/24 season was a season to remember for Aston Villa, as they reached the Semi-Finals of the Conference League and finished in 4th, securing Champions League football for the first time since the early 1980s. Ollie Watkins was pivotal for Villa's success scoring 19 goals and providing 13 assists in 37 games in the Premier League, as Unai Emery proved that he was the man to take Aston Villa forward to become an established top 6 club. His tactical tweaks during games and detailed planning in preparation for matches showed how Emery was becoming one of the best coaches in world football.
From playing in the Championship only 5 seasons ago to now playing in Europe's most prestigious competition, the 2024/25 season was a dream for many Villa supporters. The ability to attract world class players like Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, whilst getting to see their club go unbeaten at home in the Champions League with famous wins against Bayern Munich and PSG that will go down in Villa history, it was truly the best season many supporters would have seen in their lives. Maintaining league form was crucial and whilst they struggled at times with injuries, the large squad Unai Emery assembled enabled Villa to stay competitive in the league, but they narrowly missed out on another season in the Champions League following a defeat to Manchester United on the final day. However, reaching the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League and finishing in 6th place with Europa League qualification, Aston Villa can be proud of their achievements, with their steep rise largely down to one man - Unai Emery.
