Well well well. The blog kind of died in November, but the season absolutely didn't. Normally the tail off in posts can be put down to growing despondence, and the usual "I don't want to talk about it" mindset that definitely afflicts me after a Villa defeat. But this season has been different. I have been hoovering up so much Villa content, whether that be from newspapers, podcasts, highlights, WhatsApp groups, that I simply haven't made time to keep the blog up to date. That and a 5/6 month long state of perma anxiety, where I've been scanning league tables and future fixtures of all of the top 10 teams to see whether Villa really really could make it into the Champs League promised land.
What has just happened has been the best Villa season I can remember. Whilst I've seen us come runners up in the league and lift some league cup trophies, I've never seen anything like what unfolded during the season. Emery instilled a new mindset that saw Villa go into matches feeling like they belong, deserve, and can. This translates to a confident, assured, patient approach to our game. Drilled, practiced and, just like our club motto "prepared". We've played by far the best football I've ever witnessed at Villa Park, and carved out some great results, especially in the context of the modern game. To be able to dominate Man City at home for 85 of the 90 minutes was something I never thought I would see. Beating Arsenal home and away with gritty defensive performances. Recovering from 3-1 down to draw with Liverpool, securing the point that basically qualified us for Champions League. None of these are things that Villa typically do.
The achievement is made all the more remarkable by the fact we were on our knees from Xmas onwards. The tough schedule of Thursday night Euro games seemed not to have been all that big of a deal, but by Xmas I think it caught up with the team. We had been without Buendia since the eve of the season, without Mings since match 1, Jacob Ramsey had been struggling with a recurring injury all season, Torres who had really hit his stride started having injuries, Moreno was crocked - our options were really limited. Somehow we managed to grind out results all through the spring, never letting a defeat knock our belief for the next game, and I am definitely convinced that it was the mentality that got us over the line where others would have crumbled.
For example, Spurs. If not for their crumbling in the final month, we'd likely have been looking forward to Europa games rather than Champs League; but that shouldn't detract from the achievement. We;d played our tough sets of games earlier in the season, they had theirs at the end; and clearly Ange hadn't successfully instilled the same mentality that Unai had, meaning his players flaked and bottled where Villa's dug in and got it done.
I want to go through the squad and summarise their seasons.
Martinez: an absolute monster of a goalkeeper. Constantly making excellent saves, integral to our build up from the back, and just the most wonderful shithouse. His antics vs Lille in the penalty shootout took the Jed Steer deathstare and multiplied them by a thousand. What a guy.
Olsen: the cause of much concern when called upon, he actually found a bit of rhythm towards the end of the season, but I would much prefer seeing another number 2 for us next year.
Moreno: stop/start season and didn't really hit the heights of last season. Fitness and injuries were part of this, but also the loss of Ramsey denied him his usual foil on the left side. Disappointing.
Digne: an absolute rock. He'd been on the verge of being sold, was second choice, and then basically turned up all season at left back. Really won me over.
Torres: such a great defender to watch. He took a few games to get into the physicality of the premier league, and is still susceptible to being turned and being bullied, but my oh my what a silky player he is. On the ball he basically becomes a reliable creative midfielder and I am so pleased we signed him.
Konsa: flawless. Once Mings got injured you could see the responsibility passed Konsa's way, and this season he really became a man at the back.
Carlos: a couple of exceptional performances at key times (v Man C and Arsenal) but generally quite hapless and strangely not a threat at set pieces. His physicality suggests he should be dominant, but continually fouls rather than winning things fairly.
Lenglet: I thought he did really well for us. He seemed to have been coached to "be like Pau" and he made a pretty good fist of it (in both strengths and weaknesses!). I enjoyed his loan spell and expect he did too.
Cash: an up and down season for Cash. Sometimes great, sometimes meh. I think he gets a tough wrap. Will remember his total determination vs Lille and some decent performances, but his consistency and delivery are frustrating to all
McGinn: a couple of seasons ago, he couldn't pass a football, never played the percentages and was in a real lull. For a case study in what good coaching coupled with professionalism and a determination to improve look like, see Super John McGinn. He is often unplayable in midfield, the most wriggly and progressive player. I just love him.
Luiz: oozes class. Was sensational for much of the season, looked tired/distracted/off it in the final stages. 10 goals and 10 assists is a mighty return for a largely defensive midfielder
Kamara: an absolute Rolls-Royce of a midfielder. Joined the ACL club just after xmas which massively weakened us. I do hope he is able to return on the same levels.
Zaniolo: tbh it was like me playing for Villa. Not fast enough, not good enough, and I thought was generally pretty ineffective. Even in the one game where everyone said he was MotM, I thought he looked shit.
Ramsey: non-season. Blighted by injury throughout, which is a massive shame as he had just played his way back to form when his foot knock recurred and totalled his season.
Tielemans: I keep forgetting we have Youri! (just added him in once I'd finished). there's something in this, but I am not sure what. He had a slow start but came good just when we needed him. He has lovely passing, the odd smart finish and has been a real asset. He struggles with a full 90 mins and hasn't quite nailed down a best position - but boy oh boy did we need him,
Rogers: went from looking every bit the Championship player, to a real threat, and one to watch next year.
Bailey: this man has found his groove. Dancing feet, loads of confidence and a perfect example of players needing a bit of time sometimes to get over injuries and find their form. Cracking season
Diaby: Looked like we'd uncovered a gem in the first few games. Rapid, sharp, clinical. Then he hit a lull for much of the season before recoving form at the end, All in all he did well, his numbers were decent and I think maybe looked a bit off it only by comparison to some of the excellence he was surrounded by.
Watkins: great season. Goals galore, assists galore, England callup. Should be very chuffed. He did all of that whilst still managing to have a couple of 4-5 game quiet streaks. We lacked a reliable back-up striker to take the pressure off him when needed.
Duran: some mega goals, virtually zero teamwork, and clearly an attitude that sucks. Shame, but fun.
And so now we go onto the Euros and watch the sky sports ticker until August. PSR/FFP seem to be the main players this summer; and it looks like we will see a somewhat re-invented Villa next season. Sustaining this form will be hard.
Comments
Post a Comment