Following a disappointing first outing under Rob Edwards, Wolves travel the short distance to Villa Park in the ongoing search for three points. Jack Johnson speaks to Aston Villa fan Jodi Keen to get the opposition perspective ahead of this weekend’s fixture.
Aston Villa sit 4th in the Premier League, which appears to be about the precedent that Unai Emery has set since his reign began. What have you made of your results so far this season?
How we started the season was concerning to say the least, going four league games without a goal wasn’t ideal. However, our recent form with six wins out of our last seven fixtures has been incredible, with our only loss in that run coming away at Anfield. There’s definitely been games where we should’ve performed better – for example, dropping points at both Brentford and Everton away are both big missed opportunities. But getting three points from both Spurs and City this side of Christmas is a fantastic way to enter the festive period.
Wolves and Villa have almost traded places (give or take a few positions) in terms of relegation scraps and European runs over the last five years. What do you think has gone so right in Villa’s rise to the top six?
I think in the last few seasons we’ve really managed to cement ourselves as a team that’s consistently in European competitions. Starting off in the Conference League in 23/24, then the Champions League and now the Europa. We’ve got a solid backbone of players who have participated in all three campaigns, where we reached the semi-finals in the Conference and then quarter-finals in the UCL. I think the experiences we’ve gained in these competitions has kept the squad hungry and wanting to finish in the European spots every season. You could see how gutted the players and staff were when we just fell out of the UCL spots by losing at Old Trafford on the final day of last season. I think the relentless attitude that Emery has fostered has allowed us to consistently compete at the top of the Premier League table.
In the past, this game has been a lively affair with end-to-end moments. What are you expecting of the game, and how do you feel Unai Emery will approach it?
I think Emery treats every opposition in the league the same. Whether it’s City, Liverpool or a team towards the lower end of the table he always wants to go out and set the tone against the opposition – especially at home. We’re facing Young Boys on Thursday in the Europa League, which I think has to be a priority for Emery this season, as we’ve just fallen short of silverware the past few years in the FA Cup and Conference League. Therefore, on Sunday, we might not see our strongest eleven take on Wolves but I still think whatever team Emery chooses will have the same precedent drilled into them to go out and hopefully achieve the best result we can.
Villa’s spending dropped quite dramatically in the summer, especially in comparison to other clubs’ investments. Do you feel happy with where the squad is at present, or do you feel there are holes that need to be filled?
I’m really happy with the backbone of our squad and how we’re starting to utilise our bench as more players return from injury such as Onana and Tielemans who were both out recently. I think we could definitely benefit from a new winger in January. I’m not too sure what’s going on with the whole Harvey Elliot situation as he’s been struggling to get minutes, so if he’s to return to Liverpool I think we definitely need someone through the door. I’ve not been particularly impressed with new signing Evann Guessand who played both on the wing and upfront for his former club Nice. I think a new back-up number nine could be a great addition to offer some competition for Watkins who’s struggled this season with only one league goal.
Rob Edwards will definitely want to get three points under his belt as soon as possible but we know it won’t be easy. Should Wolves manage to pick something up away from home, who in the side do you think will inspire it?
I think João Gomes looks really promising at only 24 years old. He’s yet to score in the league this season but with rumoured interest from Manchester United and high praise from ex Wolves star Cunha, he looks like he could be a real threat in the Premier League and if he continues to develop. Cunha said via MEN Sport “He is
unbelievable on the pitch. I feel very secure. I feel like I can lose the ball when I have my midfielders behind me. He played very well for the national team, too.”
What is your predicted lineup for Aston Villa?
I think Villa will field a somewhat similar team to the eleven that made the trip to Elland Road last weekend. I think we’ll learn the most from the side Emery puts out in the Europa League against Young Boys in regards to who will start Sunday with such a quick turnaround between the two games. I think we could potentially see the likes of Tielemans rested as he’s just returned from injury, therefore Unai might choose to give Ross Barkley some minutes. Also, we could see Sancho and Malen could come in to give Buendia, Watkins and even Rogers a rest before we hit the busy December schedule and possibly more intense games such as Arsenal and Manchester United in the coming weeks.
And finally, what is your predicted scoreline for Sunday’s fixture?
Answer: I’ll go positive with a 3-0 win for the Villa. Hopefully we can produce something similar to our last home game vs Bournemouth where we won 4-0 and get a few different names on the scoresheet. I think it will be very difficult for Wolves to create chances as we have only lost once at home in our last 23 league fixtures at Villa Park.
