Luke's Football blog

Season Review

Aston Villa have certainly had a season to remember. They were hoping to carry on their new season well with Gerard at the helm, but it certainly wouldn’t be like that.

They started off with a 2-0 loss to newly promoted side Bournemouth; however, they would follow that result up with a win against Everton. However, a string of bad results saw the end of Gerrard’s time at Villa Park.

He was replaced by Unai Emery, who recently took Villareal to the Champions League semi-final. He would start off well, winning his first game 3-1 against Manchester United.

Emery would take them up the table with some good results along the way, but they did suffer a shocking loss to League 2 outfit Stevenage United at the time.

They had a poor February, losing three games in a row, which saw them fall off the pace a bit; however, a 10-game unbeaten run put them back on track and gave them an outside shot at Europe.

Then two losses in a row almost saw their shot at Europe slip, but two wins and a draw saw them get a 7th-place spot and finish in a European place, bringing European football back to Villa Park for the first time in 12 years.

Player Of The Season: Douglas Luiz

Villa have had many good performers recently, so I could’ve blamed anyone for this, but I decided to go with Douglas Luiz as player of the season for Villa.

Douglas Luiz has shut down his critics in recent times, looking like a guy out of place under Gerrard and about to leave the club; however, under Emery, he has shown a new level of class.

His game has improved so much as he’s looked more like a player who’s willing to work hard, and his creative play has looked so much better under Emery as he has three goal contributions in his last three Premier League games, showing his form at the right time of the season.

I reckon his form should’ve earned him a recall to the Brazilian squad, but he wasn’t chosen for some unknown reason, which is weird as he’s been in the form of his life.

His form has got them into a European place, and he will hope to keep up his good form next season as they try to reach further heights under Emery and challenge in the conference league.

Most Underwhelming Player: Leon Bailey

Villa have had a solid group of players this season, so it’s been a hard pick, but I decided to go with Leon Bailey as he hasn’t lived up to expectations this season.

4 goals and 4 assists in 33 games is not good enough for a player who was brought in for a lot of money to replace the hole that was left in the side when Jack Grealish left last season.

In fairness to the lad, he has had his fair share of injuries, but his performances have looked shaky, and he hasn’t looked as clinical as some of the attacking players they have.

He will hope to improve next season as they have European football to look forward to and they need everyone to be on good form to stand a good chance of doing well in the conference league.

Game Of The Season: Aston Villa 3-0 Newcastle

This was one of the key games that saw them get European football, as no one expected them to batter this impressive Newcastle side 3-0, but they did in the end.

It started with a goal from Jacob Ramsey, who has been impressive this year for Villa. Watkins headed it down as Ramsey fired his shot into the bottom right corner.

It would almost be 2-0 as Ramsey rifled his shot against the crossbar, which denied him his second goal of the game.

It would soon be 2-0, however, as in the 62nd minute Watkins would get the goal he deserved all game, but it would be called off. But then, 2 minutes later, he would finally get the goal he deserved as Moreno fizzed a ball into Watkins, who would turn Schar and smash it into the net, leaving Pope unable to react.

Then Watkins would soon get his second of the game as the Ramsey Watkins linkup worked for the second time this game as he squared the ball into the path of the striker to slot away and get his second of the game and Villa’s third.

This game was so important for them when it came to getting to Europe, as it was considered one of their hardest games, but they tore Newcastle apart and showed they were looking like a team that wanted European football.

How I Rate Their Season: 7.5

Villa have had an impressive season, and I feel a bit harsh for rating their season a 7.5 as they defined the odds to qualify for the conference league. However, I have to look at the whole season and the Gerrard era where they were lacklustre and couldn’t get a result, plus their shocking FA Cup campaign. I can’t give them a rating higher than 8, so a 7.5 rating seems fair for me. Overall, they have had a good season, and they should be proud of the way it ended in the end. Good luck to them for next season in Europe.