If Aston Villa defeats Sheffield United on Friday, they will hold the top spot in the Premier League until Christmas Day, provided Liverpool and Arsenal draw on Saturday at Anfield. However, are the Villans—who haven’t won the championship since 1981—true favourites to win? The writers for Express Sport have weighed in on whether Villa can pull off a Premier League-level shocker similar to that of Leicester in 2015–16.
I don’t think Aston Villa will be able to continue winning till May. They are playing well under Unai Emery, but they may be pushing themselves too much as the season draws to a close with games against Manchester City and Arsenal before a challenging final four.
There may be Premier League sacrifices and moments when the squad is taxed, particularly if Villa is vying for European glory. But they do stand a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Yes, based on a cursory look at the Premier League table for the calendar year. Aston Villa has 81 points overall in 2023 (played 39, won 25, drew 6, lost 8). They are currently ranked second. On 87 is Manchester City. In the second half of the season, Unai Emery’s team can be right up there with Arsenal and possibly Liverpool if – and this is a big if – City’s players do not return to their regular unstoppable levels.
Their xGA (expected goals against) is the third best in the league this season, and they have been frighteningly effective at Villa Park. However, given that Leicester was extremely lucky to play nearly the same 11 every week throughout their championship-winning season, injury luck may have played a major role.
There are a lot of similarities between this season and the 2015–16 campaign, when Leicester shocked the world of football by winning the Premier League. Man Utd and Chelsea, two clubs with the resources to contend for the crown, have had dreadful starts.
Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal haven’t exactly looked like teams deserving of the league title. That creates a space for an unexpected candidate to emerge.
When it comes down to it, I don’t think the Big Six will consent to a 2015–16 replay. They simply don’t want one outsider to outperform them all, therefore a lot of reinvestment will be made in January to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Even though Villa has won their last 15 games at home and has played almost as well away, they could experience a decline in performance. They lack the means to play a 38-game season with such flawless play. In the end, there’s a solid reason Leicester was such an oddity.
Villa has had an incredible season thus far, and Unai Emery is undoubtedly doing a fantastic job with the players at his disposal. Despite Villa’s amazing run, it would not be shocking to see one of Manchester City, Arsenal, or Liverpool win the season’s championship.
They won’t have the depth in their squad or the finances to defeat the best teams in the division across 46 games, especially when they have to juggle their commitments to Europe with a championship defence in the Premier League. Villa will have a more realistic goal of qualifying for the Champions League the following season, and if they continue to improve at their current pace, they may be in a stronger position to win a title in the future.
