While there was an air of disappointment after our 2-2 draw with Chelsea given the context of the game, the result still allowed Aston Villa to tick two important boxes.
Time will tell if our inability to secure all three points having been 2-0 up at half-time this weekend will come back to haunt us at the end of the season, as we continue our pursuit of Champions League qualification.
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Nevertheless, what a share of the spoils did confirm on Saturday night was that Villa have now secured a top-five finish in the Premier League, as well as a place in the Europa League at a minimum with three games remaining.
Of course, the focus will still be on our final three outings and looking to achieve more, but our achievements this weekend reinforce just how impressive and exhilarating this journey under Unai Emery has been thus far.
From being appointed with Villa languishing near the bottom three in October 2022, to masterminding a resurgence last season that saw us finish seventh and secure a place in the Europa Conference League.
While the detractors may have believed that that was our ceiling and Emery and our squad wouldn’t be able to not just replicate that form but improve further, we’ve proved so many wrong again this year to kick on and raise our level and expectations.
Having struggled to compete at the top end of the table for so long, being guaranteed a finish in the top five in this highly-competitive league is a major achievement, and Emery will potentially get the opportunity to coach in the Europa League again, a competition he knows very well given his previous success in it.
“Very, very happy,” he told VillaTV post-match. “I’m very happy because we achieved today playing next year in the Europa League.
“We were here with our supporters enjoying the moment, trying to add another challenge we have in front which is to get fourth position for Champions League.”
It’s all part of the progression, development and maturity of this group, and the club as a whole, that we continue to raise the bar each year and compete at a higher level, and so even if we’re unable to fend off Tottenham in the next month, what we’ve done this season and what we’ve achieved shouldn’t be downplayed or lost in any sense of disappointment if we fall short of even bigger targets.
This Villa squad is still learning and gaining new experiences as we continue to become more competitive and solidify our place amongst the top clubs in the Premier League, and so although they have set a high new standard under Emery and when we fall short of that there is disappointment, balance and appreciation of where we’re at is always needed too as we gear up for a decisive month.
Top-five and @EuropaLeague qualification confirmed, with three @PremierLeague games still to play. ✅ pic.twitter.com/6zJHdIL4nK
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 27, 2024
