From The Athletic
ARE ASTON VILLA TITLE CONTENDERS?
by Jacob Tanswell
In the days leading up to Arsenal’s visit, the question about Aston Villa’s title credentials was put to Unai Emery.
“I’ve been asked about the title race,” he wrote in Saturday’s programme notes. “You know how I think. Keep humble. Words of a title race are empty until April or May — we are starting December. These are headlines I dislike. Many people who put us there now were thinking in August we were a finished team.”
Emery’s reluctance to engage in the early rumblings of such a discussion will surely be tested again. Villa’s dramatic 2-1 victory against Arsenal puts them three points off the top, backing up everything Emery has stood for since taking charge in 2022.
“They are,” responded Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, when asked if Villa were now title challengers. “When you look at where they are, the way they played, they’ve beaten some big teams at home.”
Villa were exceptional and deserved their 95th-minute winner, fittingly delivered by Emiliano Buendia, the player whose personal renaissance symbolises the club’s resurgence this season.
Few teams have identified weaknesses in the Premier League’s strongest side, but Emery knew that breaking down the flanks and through the space left by Arsenal’s full-backs, who occupied high and narrow positions in possession, would offer a transitional threat.
Few teams can follow through with the approach and score, let alone stabilise after a setback, as Villa did here following Arsenal’s equaliser when the match was at risk of swinging away from the hosts.
Few teams have the mentality of this Villa side, who ordered their goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, to launch a quick throw in the final minutes of stoppage time and aim to find a winner, sensing the league leaders were tired.
Few teams can ultimately outlast and outmanoeuvre Arsenal, but Villa did just that. Their powerful midfield rivals Declan Rice and his team-mates as the best in the division.
“After the equaliser, we recovered our momentum to dominate, to get the match in our control,” said Emery. “And we were close. We were pushing. Villa Park is something we must feel in how they pushed us. We got the last goal because we believed we could win this match.”
Quite simply, Villa do not lose at home, unless it is against their bogey team, Crystal Palace. Since Arsenal’s last visit in August 2024, Villa have been defeated only twice here (both against Palace).
It is the place where Emery learned the word “fortress” in English. No side in Europe has put together more home wins across the previous three years.
They did not win any of their first five league games this season, yet they have won nine of the next 10. No one else has accrued more points in that time.
The transformation is so stark that the initial malaise now appears anomalous, particularly considering their form at the end of last season. Since March, no team has won more Premier League games than Villa’s 17.
“This year, we started so poor, now we are good,” said Emery last week, matter-of-factly.
Where most are suffering from this season’s volatile, staccato-like Premier League, Villa continue to find a way. If other wins had question marks against them owing to Villa’s discrepancies between underlying metrics and actual performance, the victory against Arsenal was a statement result.
Emery’s side were on a roll before Saturday lunchtime but Buendia’s strike will embolden belief. Senior club figures have long marvelled at the work of Emery and his players, but have been distinctly awestruck in recent weeks, especially following the summer’s ordeals.
Back then, the atmosphere within the club was flat. They had a “nightmare” summer, according to one high-ranking official. Various financial millstones hung around their neck after missing out on Champions League qualification.
The mood was sombre and players discussed their futures. Villa needed to sell, creating uncertainty among the squad. Developing tensions between Emery and sporting director Monchi drew increasing doubt from internal staff. It was felt that Emery’s era was heading down the mountain, rather than scaling new heights.
“It was clear because of the circumstances we had and the period in the transfer window in August, maybe the most punished team was Aston Villa, because we couldn’t spend money until the last moment,” said Emery last week, reflecting on that period.
Coaching staff did not waver. Their answer was to work harder and longer hours, tightening their grip on an ageing but experienced squad that had been accustomed to Emery’s methods for three years.
The Spaniard asserted that if players stayed together, remaining “resilient” and true to his specific tactical framework, confidence and energy would return.
“When we went through a little dip, I saw some things on Twitter like, ‘Unai’s time is up now’, but then we come again,” Ross Barkley told The Athletic. “And then all the fans and people on the outside are like, ‘Wow’. It’s because he is one of the best managers in the world.”
The mood now could not be more different.
“He (Emery) is the king-maker,” says one recruitment staff member.
“The team and the coach are doing a miracle,” adds another senior figure.
While Emery acknowledged Villa’s need to improve offensively — last week, according to Opta, their overall expected goals (xG) of 11.9 was the league’s second-lowest, ahead of Burnley, illustrating their struggles to create clear-cut chances — other staff felt differently. Instead, they were not overly concerned with the discord surrounding data overperformance. Internally, they viewed the high proportion of strikes scored from outside the box as adding a unique variation to goal-getting.
For instance, beating a highly physical Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0, despite their opponents’ lowly standing, was regarded as a major and overlooked positive. Due to Europa League commitments, Villa had one training session and three hours of video analysis to prepare for the match, with the same limited preparation being replicated for Arsenal’s visit.
Villa’s home record is in line with a title challenger. A remarkable team spirit that had been splintered in the summer but not totally fractured is now evident, demonstrated in the chaotic, joyous scenes following Buendia’s goal.
Emery recently said that it was “better to win five matches 1-0 than one 5-0”, though even he would have to admit the thrill and frenzy which accompanied the 2-1 win tops both. His eccentric celebrations at full time suggested as much.
He gathered himself for post-match media duties, repeating his line that champions are not decided until April and May. Title talk may still be premature, yet there is no doubt Villa are showing they belong among the elite.
