u/Astonishingly-Villa

I'm very optimistic for next season. Why?

1. Chema Sanz, João Gomes, Johan Manzambi, Victor Lindelöf

My biggest frustration last season was the staticity of play in possession. There were so many games where we were level, a goal or two down, and we lacked energy, drive and physicality.

The ball would be recycled around slowly with no urgency between the full-backs, central defenders and defensive midfielders.

Ezri Konsa, in particular, was the last person I wanted to see with the ball at his feet whilst we were in possession and in need of a goal. He'd stand on the ball for ten seconds thinking about moving it, before making the same sideways pass to Matty Cash.

Victor Lindelöf, meanwhile, had a faultless season. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that, by the end of the season, Emery trusted him for the most important games, even out of position in midfield. He makes everything he does look effortless and easy, both in and out of possession.

No dilly-dallying. He's looking to win the ball and advance it in the most efficient and creative way possible, and he has the ability to do so. He reads the game flawlessly. He has become an Emery favourite, and he is the man to replace Konsa.

I'm also not surprised at all that Emery has brought in Chema Sanz as his number two. A man who came into the game as a strength and conditioning coach, with a similar tactical vision to Emery, but who demands so much energy and physical input from his players.

I'm also not surprised that João Gomes has come in as the Tielemans replacement. Youri is an elite deep-lying playmaker. He can visualise and complete passes that very few can, but he is a physically static player. He won't drive with the ball, make runs into space or work his socks off for 90 minutes.

He's a very gifted technician, but he's not a workhorse.

João Gomes isn't the same profile of player. He is an elite ball-winning midfielder, a complete midfielder. He doesn't have the same elite vision as Tielemans, but he will get involved with every inch of play, on and off the ball.

Staticity will not be something associated with the Villa midfield with him on the pitch.

The same can be said for Manzambi as the Rogers replacement. At 20 years old, he's already played as a 6, an 8 and a 10, and is incredibly talented and hard-working both in and out of possession. Incredibly press-resistant.

Yet another player who will increase the energy levels in the midfield and forward positions this season.

2. Zion Suzuki

The protection that goalkeepers used to get from referees during set pieces has dramatically decreased. Arsenal won the league by physically dominating opposition defenders during corners and set pieces, in ways that would have been deemed illegal in previous seasons.

Zion Suzuki is an incredibly physically dominant modern goalkeeper. He dominates the box. He claims every ball. He has elite distribution statistics. And he's still only 24.

There's a reason why PSG wanted him, and why Villa wanted him. He is the future of goalkeeping.

3. Ruggeri, Maatsen, Wan-Bissaka

During our period of consistently positive results last season between September and January, Maatsen was predominantly our starting left-back. He wasn't perfect, but he provided much-needed pace and energy to our left flank.

Lucas Digne began to start more games from January onwards and had a handful of dreadful performances, notably Bournemouth away, Newcastle at home in the cup and Forest away in Europe. The decline was obvious; he was not the consistent defender we'd become accustomed to in the two seasons prior.

Maatsen is not the most consistent player in the world either, but he has talent. The Digne sale and the opportunity to become our undisputed first-choice left-back may be the making of him.

Ruggeri, 24 years old, has experience under two top managers - one as an attacking left wing-back, the other as a defensive left-back. Europa League winner with one, Champions League semi-finalist with the other.

He has a similar attacking style to Lucas Digne, loves to ping in crosses with his left foot whenever he gets the chance, and had the same amount of assists as Digne did last season, with seven.

Matty Cash was outstanding at right-back last season, but his only backup was Garcia, a failed project signing, and Bogarde, a defensive midfielder.

Wan-Bissaka offers an experienced, defensively solid alternative and much-needed depth to the right-back position this season.

4. Garnacho, Hemmings, Alysson, Madjo, Buendia, Super John McGinn

We were very poor in the attacking third last season. Part of that was due to the staticity of play from those behind them, as mentioned previously. The other part was a lack of quality and poor, rushed signings in the previous transfer window.

Garnacho has his critics. A lot of critics. Most of them children.

However, he's also only 22, and has not yet had a season at a stable club with a competent manager.

He's come close to stability twice: once under Ten Hag, where Man Utd fans were claiming he was the second coming of Cristiano Ronaldo, and once again in the first half of last season under Maresca, where he was beginning to find his feet before a new manager came in and Chelsea's season completely derailed.

How will he get on under Unai Emery? Time will tell. I'm predicting big things from him this season.

Hemmings, Alysson and Madjo have all shown a lot of promise this pre-season, and all three are reportedly greatly appreciated by Unai Emery.

We haven't been spoiled with exciting young players breaking through in recent years. So far under Emery, we've had Morgan Rogers and Jhon Durán.

I've got a good feeling about all three of them this season. I think Emery will trust in and use all three of them to some extent this season, and I think they'll take their chances.

They all seem hungry to impress, with the talent to back it up.

Buendia. What a phoenix story this man had last season.

He came from the shadows to take us to a Europa League final with a MOTM performance in the Forest second leg, and then scored in the final to top it all off.

He had the most goal contributions per minute played in our squad last season, and he's been very bright in pre-season, playing with a swagger that suggests: "I'm here to stay. I'm here to lead from the front. I'm here to win."

I'm a huge Buendia fan, and I think he's going to build on his performances from last season, become even more consistent, and prove any of his remaining doubters why he deserves to be a Villan.

John McGinn.

He's always been a fantastic player for us, one of our best, for as long as he's been here. Maybe a few months under Gerrard aside - but who performed well in that time?

His performances last season, particularly since coming back from injury, were outstanding. He seemed to have a newfound confidence in front of goal, a more serious demeanour on and off the ball, and more competitiveness.

He even spoke more eloquently and beautifully in press conferences - fewer jokes, more depth and more philosophy.

I think he's going to have his standout season this year.

I think he will bring consistent goal contributions to the league. He's been consistent for us in front of goal in Europe for a while now, but I think it will translate to the Premier League this season.

It's just a gut feeling. He seems like a man possessed, obsessed with winning, obsessed with taking Emery's Villa to the pinnacle.

Those are a few of my reasons for optimism so far.

The transfer window will continue to be busy, the league will kick off on Sunday whilst we still have unfinished business and injuries, but slow start or not, I think this will be a season to remember.

UTV.

It's the battle of the European champions when Aston Villa face Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup on Wednesday in Salzburg.

PSG, who are the holders after beating Tottenham 4-3 on penalties last year, will bid to become just the fourth team to successfully retain the trophy.

This is Aston Villa's second appearance in the Super Cup, having previously beaten Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate in 1983 (0-1 away, 3-0 at home).

And whilst Unai Emery is widely considered a European competition mastermind, he has had less luck in the Super Cup.

He has lost all three of his appearances in this competition, including against Luis Enrique's Barcelona in 2015 while managing Sevilla.

That came a year after Sevilla lost to Barcelona, before Emery also lost on penalties to Chelsea with Villarreal in 2021.

Villa go into this match looking to break the trend of Champions League holders coming out victorious too, with the Europa League holders having won just once in the last 13 seasons.

Aston Villa squad:

GK: Martinez, Bizot, Wright, Asemota

DF: Cash, Nedeljkovic, Konsa, Lindelof, Torres, Mings, Maatsen, Bogarde, Cisse

M: Kamara, McGinn, Joao Gomes, Barkley

FW: Watkins, Abraham, Buendia, Garnacho, Guessand, Alysson

Thoughts? Predictions?

UTV

Villa started last season very poorly. We'd failed in the transfer market with the rushed additions of Sancho and Elliott, alongside the poorly scouted signing of Guessand. That failure meant all of our eggs were in the basket of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.

That quickly became an enormous problem because both of them started the season terribly.

Watkins simply wasn't getting involved in games. There was little to no service, and when chances did come, he wasn't taking them. In his own words, he was playing as though blindfolded.

Rogers looked as if he'd forgotten the basic principles of football. Simple passes escaped him, he wasn't finding good positions, and those physically imposing ball-carrying runs that had become his trademark the previous season had disappeared.

Monchi was sacked.

Buendía was introduced and injected some much-needed energy and fight into our attack. The quality wasn't always there, but the effort and work rate never disappeared.

At the same time, Malen began providing pace, energy and, crucially, goals from the bench.

Gradually, things started to improve. Rogers rediscovered some form. Buendía found his rhythm. Watkins continued to struggle, but Malen kept delivering goals as a substitute. Even Sancho had moments, albeit without directly contributing with goals or assists.

Without ever looking especially convincing, Villa somehow pieced together that outstanding winning run. Long-range screamers, set piece goals, and what felt like an entirely unsustainable relationship with expected goals. xG FC.

Then Christmas came and went, and in Santa's sack was the trio of midfield injuries: Kamara, Tielemans and McGinn. Malen was sold. Tammy arrived but seemed completely unfavoured by Emery. Watkins' blindfold remained firmly in place. Suddenly it wasn't just the attack that looked below par, but the midfield too.

We struggled.

The low points of late winter and early spring included Digne's performances against Bournemouth and Newcastle, and that team performance away at Wolves.

Then spring arrived, and with it came the green shoots.

McGinn returned and carried both our midfield and our attack. His leadership, his energy, his sheer ability transformed us. He brought goals, he brought fight, and he won us games. Watkins finally rediscovered his form, and for the first time all season we found some consistency in front of goal.

It wasn't all sunshine and roses, though.

Rogers' form once again fell off a cliff, while Buendía's influence also faded. Sancho picked up an injury in a friendly just as he seemed to be finding his feet, and never returned to anything resembling form for the remainder of the season. Tielemans returned but didn't quite look the same player.

We were still picking up points, just not with the regularity we'd become accustomed to under Emery. Fortress Villa Park was beginning to crumble. Home points were slipping away.

Then came the defeat to Forest in the first leg, followed by Spurs.

That was my lowest point of the season. In the space of a few days, it felt as though we'd thrown away a top-four finish after spending months in such a strong position, while also blowing our chance of reaching a Europa League final.

The performances simply weren't good enough. Digne's handball, giving away a penalty against Forest. That pathetic display against Spurs at Villa Park.

Unacceptable.

But then... it became acceptable.

We produced a tremendous team performance against Forest at home. We then lost away to Burnley in another desperately poor display before producing another outstanding performance at Villa Park against Liverpool to secure a top-four finish. Champions League football was confirmed, along with a Europa League final against considerably weaker opposition.

We turned the season around through grit. Through McGinn. Through Watkins. Through Lindelöf. Through Buendía. Through the team. Through Emery.

Emery worked miracles last season.

It was the weakest squad and the weakest side he'd managed since arriving at Aston Villa, yet he still guided us to fourth place and a European trophy.

A rebuild, however, was so clearly needed.

And that's why I'm excited.

We lacked energy and fight in midfield. Enter "the pitbull", alongside our new physiology and energy-focused assistant manager, Sanz.

We lacked pace, directness, consistency on the ball and energy in attack. Enter Manzambi and Garnacho.

We had ageing players making increasingly creaky mistakes. Exit Lucas Digne.

We are making genuine progress towards fixing the issues that plagued us throughout last season.

"Miraculous" is the word I would use to describe 2025/26. It was Emery's greatest achievement as a manager.

The word I'd like to use for 2026/27 is "deserved".

We have the best manager in world football. The very best.

I don't want to keep expecting miracles. I want the club to give him the tools that make those miracles unnecessary.

Jesus doesn't need to turn water into wine if we've already got a cellar full.

I am excited. UTFV.

The stated aim of UEFA's Squad Cost Ratio is to make sure clubs spend a sustainable share of their revenue on squad costs, so they live within their means and avoid financial instability. On paper, that's a sensible goal. But in practice, SCR doesn't seem to be achieving what it was introduced to do.

Transfer fees keep rising. Wages keep rising. Clubs with the biggest revenues and the strongest commercial power can still spend at a level others simply can't match. The market hasn't become fairer; it has become more selective.

What SCR appears to do is decide which clubs are allowed to compete in a market dictated by their own superior spending ability, and as a result, deciding which clubs are allowed to actively compete at the highest level.

Clubs with enough revenue can keep paying £70m, £80m, £100m+ for players with no outside interference. However, clubs without that revenue aren't protected from the resulting inflation - they're just prevented from competing on equal terms.

The problem is that SCR is tied to revenue. That means the clubs with the biggest revenues also have the greatest freedom to spend. They can keep pushing transfer fees and wages higher while still staying within the ratio. So instead of controlling inflation, the system allows the richest clubs to set the price of the market.

That is how squad-building costs keep rising. Not because Aston Villa, or other similar clubs, are overspending, but because the clubs with the largest incomes can keep raising the benchmark for everyone else. They set transfer fees and wages at a level which prevent us from competing within the SCR rules.

Clubs without that revenue aren't protected from inflation; they're just prevented from competing on equal terms.

This summer shows the problem.

Villa have grown their revenue through Champions League qualification, have spent relatively conservatively in recent windows, and are still operating under UEFA restrictions.

Meanwhile, other clubs with greater financial power continue to spend heavily. They're not breaking the rules, they're using them to inflate the market and prevent other clubs like Villa from competing in the market, and therefore, as a by-product, likely on the pitch.

SCR doesn't seem to ask whether a club has the means to invest responsibly. It asks whether that club already generates enough revenue to be allowed to do so.

Those are two very different questions.

If a club is well run, has the backing to invest, and meets the ownership suitability rules already in place, why should it be stopped from competing at the same level as everyone else?

If they have the means, they should be allowed to use it.

SCR is ruining our game. It's driving up our ticket prices. It's driving down competitiveness in the market and on the pitch. It's inflating transfer fees and wages.

It's boring, it's irritating. But we need to protest, and I'd argue our club and our fan base should be leading that protest as we are the ones at the gate.

There's five players that I believe could step up into squad roles next season. Players who could step up into impact players off the bench, who could play against Pot 3 and Pot 4 Champions League teams, who could play in the domestic cup games or against weaker Premier League opposition.

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1. Alysson (20-21 years old, left footed right winger/left winger/attacking midfielder)

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This is the most obvious player who should be very much more involved in the coming season. He would likely have got a lot more minutes had it not been for injuries since joining in January.

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What does he bring? Pace, work rate, skill, ability to cut in from the left or right, take on a full back, track back, join in with passing sequences in the opposition half, height, physicality.

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Who could he replace? One of Bailey, Sancho, Guessand.

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I can see him getting starts in cup games and against weaker opposition, and coming off the bench in the last 20 much like Zaniolo did a couple of years ago to bring a bit of pace and physicality against tired opposition legs.

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2. Lewis Dobbin (23-24 years old, right footed left winger/right winger/shadow striker)

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When we signed him, I thought he'll have a year out on loan and then we'll sell him to a Championship side. He was highly rated at Everton when he first came onto the scene but hasn't really had a break out moment as a senior professional in the Premier League yet.

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However, he's been out on loan at Preston last season, a team who performed quite well in the Championship, and he was one of their best players, notching 10 goals and 8 assists in 39 games.

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I wouldn't be shocked or disappointed if we sold him for £12m+ to a Championship side this summer similar to Philogene a few years ago, but I also wouldn't be shocked if he's given minutes in pre season and impresses.

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What does he bring? Pace, goal threat, creativity, skill.

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Who could he replace? One of Bailey, Sancho, Guessand.

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3. Jamaldeen Jimoh Alobah (19-20 years old, right footed attacking midfielder/shadow striker/right winger)

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Birmingham born JJA showed what he was about in the Europa League before going to West Brom on loan in January. He's less developed than the two above, but he's a homegrown talent which is important for CL squad registration rules, particularly if we are selling Bogarde.

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What does he bring? Skill, pace, height, homegrown status, goal threat, creativity.

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Who could he replace? Harvey Elliot, backup to Rogers/Buendia/Tielemans/McGinn as a second striker/attacking midfielder/No. 10.

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4. Modou Kepa Cisse (20-21 years old, right footed ball playing central defender/defensive midfielder)

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Won the Austrian league as an ever present for LASK last season. A very talented youngster and an Olabe signing that's gone under the radar.

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What does he bring? 6'3 with pace, physicality, passing ability, and confidence beyond his years.

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Who does he replace? Mings/Bogarde.

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5. Triston Rowe (19-20 years old, right back)

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Another Birmingham born, home grown talent. Had a very successful loan spell with FC Annecy in the French Ligue 2 last season.

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What does he bring? Pace, defensive ability, crossing threat, homegrown.

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Who does he replace? Garcia

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Those nearly moments under Martin.

Those Proud History, Bright Future lies from Lerner.

Those relegation dogfights.

Those years of struggle.

Those ghastly grins across the faces of Lescott and Richards.

That relegation.

That marquee signing with a dodgy set of gates.

That cabbage.

That fight for promotion.

That togetherness.

That drive from Deano, Grealish, Mings and McGinn.

That fight to stay up.

That battle.

That final day survival.

That hiring of Gerrard.

That firing of Gerrard.

That rise under Unai.

That offside trap.

That tiki-taka.

That play-out-from-the-back beauty.

That Conference League qualification cheer.

That “it’s only the Conference League” sneer.

That shut up, JJ.

That fight for fourth.

Those tears, hearing the Champions League anthem

echo around Villa Park, before beating Bayern Munich once again.

That fight against PSG.

That dismantling of Forest.

That Champions League qualification.

Istanbul, my Lord.

Istanbul.

I can feel it coming in the air tonight.

I’ve been waiting for this moment

for all my life.

Can you feel it coming in the air tonight?

Roll the drums.

Prepared.

Up the fucking Villa.

There was a season or two in the 90s or early 00s before I got to go to a game in person (I wasn't able to get to Villa Park in person until I paid for it myself as a working man, I was an armchair supporting child and teenager) where from the TV audio I used to think the fans were singing "Istanbul M'Lord, Istanbul" because, I assumed, that was where we must have beat Bayern Munich in 1982.

I obviously learned since that the real chant is "It's your round, M'Lord, it's your round", but I find it crazy that we might actually win a European Cup in Istanbul, that we were actually singing "Istanbul, M'Lord, Istanbul" last night.

Just a weird little coincidence for me there that I wanted to share.

Apologies if this isn't the All Vegan Feast Community.

Cheers.

Aston Villa's squad are entering a defining moment under manager Unai Emery.

Trailing 1-0 going into Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest (20:00 BST), a 30-year trophy drought hangs around the club's neck.

There is a growing sense it is this squad's last chance to end it.

Nine of the current squad started Emery's first game - a 3-1 win over Manchester United in November 2022 - with John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara coming off the bench.

Six of those players started against Forest last week, Villa suffering a first-leg defeat.

Stability has underpinned Villa's success under former Arsenal boss Emery, who took over when the club were 14th and three points above the relegation zone.

But as they stumble just before the biggest game of his reign, has Emery taken this group as far as he can?

Villa's wretched 2-1 home defeat by Tottenham on Sunday - a third consecutive loss - did not give them the ideal platform, even if Emery made seven changes.

"We are improving, including myself, and we will have more challenges to set for the present or future," said Emery, when asked if this is the last chance for this squad to win something.

"I don't think tomorrow is the last opportunity for us or anyone. The players are enjoying the process we are doing and they are aware about how difficult football is, and this is the greatest moment we are having in the last three years.

"It will break nothing about how we are thinking and trying to improve."

Emery has moulded many from Championship players into Champions League contenders from a squad which previously had not finished higher than 11th since returning to the top flight and were floundering under predecessor Steven Gerrard.

But all good things come to an end.

"Squads change every year and players always leave," said England forward Watkins.

"This is the only moment when we will have all of the same players in the dressing room this year. We need to do everything we can to get to the end.

"The team is pretty much the same as when Dean Smith was here, apart from a few good additions.

"We can always count on each other and it is nice to have a core that has been together for numerous years. It is quite rare."

[[Edited from Nick Mashiter, BBC Sport.]]

People seem confused why I and a lot of other fans are angry. Here's the list of what has pissed me off in 2025/26.

The summer window:

-The £30m signing of Guessand, a waste of funds raised by the sale of Ramsey.

-The deadline day panic signing of Sancho.

-The deadline day panic signing of Elliot.

-The deadline day mess around Martinez.

- The absolute embarrassment that has been the entire Elliot situation.

August - December:

-The performances and results at the start of the season.

-The insistence of picking out of form Watkins and Rogers week in week out over in form Malen.

- Playing a full strength side away at Spurs in an early round of the FA Cup and losing Kamara for the season.

The winter window:

- Loaning out Guessand and replacing him with the recalled Leon Bailey.

- Loaning out in form, underutilised Malen and signing Abraham for £22m, who is now underutilised.

- Signing Douglas Luiz on loan who failed to perform at relegation threatened Forest.

January - May:

- The performances and results throughout 2026.

- The insistence of picking out of form Watkins and Rogers over in form January POTM Abraham.

- The insistence of starting Leon Bailey.

- The insistence of starting Lucas Digne.

- The loss at Wolves.

- The loss to Newcastle in the FA cup.

- The loss to Forest in the Europa League first leg.

- Throwing the game against Spurs which would have confirmed Champions League football ahead of two tricky fixtures to end the season, and Burnley away.

- Winning one away game in the league in 2026.

That's my list.