So, like, Aston Villa is probably not gonna end the season letting in as many goals as last time, ya know? But hey, their Champions League rivals are likely gonna have better defensive records, as usual. Under Unai Emery, Villa has been making some serious progress, man. They went from almost getting relegated in October 2022 to qualifying for Europe a few months later after he showed up. Last season, they made it to a European semi-final and finished in the top four to secure Champions League action. Villa even got to the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season and almost beat Paris Saint-Germain to make it to the semis. In the FA Cup, though, they blew a chance to reach the final, which totally sucks. So now, their only shot at Europe for a third season in a row is through the Premier League. Their loss to Manchester City last week hurt their chances at a top-five finish, but all hope is not lost, you know?
But, like, if Villa doesn’t make the top five, it’s gonna be super obvious where they messed up earlier in the season. Just beating 10-man Ipswich at Villa Park and not letting Bournemouth score a last-minute equalizer in stoppage time would’ve given them four extra points. If that happened, they’d be tied with fourth-place City and only one point behind third-place Newcastle United. Villa has come a long way, for real, and staying up top while playing in Europe is seriously impressive. Most teams struggle to handle both, but Villa seems to be doing okay. Still, they have a major weakness: they let in way too many goals. Since last season, they’ve given up 110 goals and only kept 14 clean sheets in 72 league games. All the top six teams have let in fewer goals during that time, even though teams like Newcastle and Chelsea got fewer points last season. Nottingham Forest was a whole 36 points behind Villa and still conceded fewer goals. Forest let in 106, Chelsea 103, and Newcastle 106. Tottenham, who hasn’t had the best season, only let in seven more goals than Villa.
So, like, Villa really needs to work on their defense this summer. Boubacar Kamara is a solid holding midfielder, and they have some good left-back options with Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen. Ezri Konsa is underrated and likely to be a big part of England’s plans, and Pau Torres was key to Villa’s success last season – even though he has some defensive weaknesses. Tyrone Mings is their best defender in the box, and they haven’t lost a game in the 13 he’s played this season. Konsa and Mings work well together, so it was weird that the older dude didn’t play against City or Palace last week. At right-back, Villa brought in Andres Garcia, but Matty Cash is back in the starting role now. Axel Disasi has been in and out of the lineup. Emi Martínez is considered one of the best goalies in the world, but he’s made some uncharacteristic mistakes this season. Villa has quality players all around, but something is off if they keep letting in so many goals. If they win their next four games – which they probs need to do for a Champions League spot – they’ll beat last season’s 68-point total. Even though Newcastle and Chelsea didn’t do so hot last season, their points might not show it all. Forest has gotten way better, for sure. If Villa wins three of their last four games, they’ll match Tottenham’s 66-point total from last season.
But, like, Villa’s defense has been a problem this season and last. In the 23 seasons before last year, the fourth-place team only let in more than 52 goals once. Between 2000/01 and 2022/23, the average goals conceded by the fourth-place team was only 40. So, this summer, Villa needs to fix their defense ASAP. No matter how good their players are, something’s not working right now – and they gotta fix it. Who should Villa go after this summer to help out their defense? Let us know, man.
