Having enjoyed a positive and promising start to the season, Aston Villa now head into a pivotal period in our campaign following the conclusion of the international break.
Unai Emery’s side sit in fifth place in the Premier League standings, a point adrift of the top four and three behind league leaders Manchester City.
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In the Europa Conference League, we are well-positioned in joint-top spot in Group E alongside Legia Warszawa, while a point in our final two games will be enough to secure our place in the next round, albeit we want to finish top of the pile.
However, now comes the run-in to the festive period. A fixture schedule that could ultimately shape our season and set the tone for what’s to follow in the second half of the campaign, and so Villa will face a number of significant tests as we look to build on the foundation set.
Dealing with pressure of expectation
While we’ve largely gone under the radar and don’t get too much attention, our prolonged, positive start to the season will ensure we can’t elude the spotlight as easily moving forward.
Particularly as we outperform the likes of Newcastle Utd and Brighton, we become the other talked-about club outside of the usual suspects at the top of the table.
With that, comes a different type of pressure and expectation. It will be important that the players, under Emery’s guidance having had experience in these situations, deal with that well and maintain our level and standard.
Adapting to way sides prepare for us
Building on the point above, our rivals are now showing us a higher degree of respect when facing us, knowing the quality and collective ability we have that has resulted in our excellent winning form under Emery.
We came unstuck at Nottingham Forest, and that was an example of how we’ve still got room for improvement and development when trying to implement our game-plan against sides prepared for our style of play and ideas.
That requires more flexibility and different dynamics, but without abandoning the principles and identity being formed. If we can find the right balance, we’ll hopefully produce different solutions when needed by adapting and maintaining that winning habit.
Relentless fixture schedule
Between November 26 and December 26, Villa will play nine games across all competitions.
That invariably sees us playing every three days, and so not only will that be a test of our physical strength, but also our mental toughness to deal with those tests and prevail.
We’ve already had a heavy workload this season, but Emery has rotated well for the most part in a bid to keep legs fresh. We’ll need our squad as a group to step up and ensure we can keep our good run going.
Facing ‘direct’ rivals
Three of our next four Premier League games will see us face Tottenham, Man City and Arsenal. While this is not to suggest that we’re in a title race this season, we are evidently around that group in the table as things stand.
With that in mind, it will be a fascinating test of our ability, and capability, to compete with the top sides in the league.
Under Emery, there is a belief that we can beat any side on our day. Particularly with those encounters with Man City and Arsenal being at home, and with our superb form at Villa Park, it’s hoped we can really ruffle some feathers by next month.
Reintegrating key players after injury
It will of course be a huge boost to have Alex Moreno available for selection again, and Jacob Ramsey is expected to be close to being in contention to feature again in the coming weeks.
Getting players of that calibre who are so important for us can only be a positive, but the process of reintegrating them back into the side, without suffering any fresh setbacks and without disrupting the balance of a winning side, will still be tricky.
It gives us more depth and competition as we need a strong squad to compete for major honours this season, and it’s just hoped that both Moreno and Ramsey can come back in and give us that all-important lift at a crucial time in the year to help us sustain our push.
