After a valiant display against the might of Liverpool, falling just short in a hard-fought 2-1 defeat, the boys in claret and blue looked to put three points on the board, this time hosting Crystal Palace at B6, on a celebratory Sunday.
The sell-out crowd was in full voice as they welcomed the cup-winning heroes of 1982, and sung loud and proud before something of an anti-climactic performance.
Letās take a look at the five things we learnt from Aston Villa vs Crystal Palaceā¦
We Are Massive
Iām sure Iāll catch some flak for this one, and itās not so much something we learnt from Sunday itself, more a case of Sunday confirming what we already knew, but this football club truly is gargantuan.
Seeing the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of our (in)famous European up win really brought home what an incredible achievement that victory was.
We are always told by detractors that the competition was āeasier to winā back then. If that is truly the case, why are we still only one of five English clubs to do so, out of 92 in total? Furthermore, why are we one of only 22 teams to have won it across the entire continent, from a total of 147 who have taken part?
Surely every club, or at least more clubs, would have been able to bag that trophy across the 60s, 70s and 80s?
The argument is, of course, a complete myth. Winning the European Cup has never, ever been easy. If anything it was more difficult during its early years, as you had to be champions of your domestic top flight to even qualify!
Our club won the English league using just 14 players, another incredible achievement that often flies under the radar. Yes the game was different back then, but it is still an unthinkable task, and yet we smashed it.
Once in Europe, everyone we encountered in the competition were champions in their own right. No fourth place qualification spots for the smaller clubs like Arsenal or Spurs (couldnāt resist!)
And while that wonderful night in Rotterdam was indeed 40 long years ago, it is still very worthy of all the fanfare it receives. We won the big one at our first attempt, and thatās special.
Only fans of clubs who have never won it tend to criticise our celebrations too. Iāve never really had any stick from Liverpool, Man Utd, Nottingham Forest, or even Chelsea fans. Because they understand what a colossal and monumental achievement it is.
Iāve said it on my socials before, and Iāll happily say it here again, only truly massive clubs have won the European Cup, and Iām proud that we are one of them.
Iām willing to state here and now that it wonāt be another 40 years before we claim a secondā¦
Bottom Half Confirmed…?
Sundayās lacklustre defeat has all but sealed our bottom-half-finish fateā¦or has it? The game itself did feel like a dead rubber of sorts, between two teams with very little to play for other than pride.
Both clubs would relish a top half finish, led by two up and coming managers for the first time in this division, but the chance has probably gone for Villa now.
Having said that, a good win against Burnley on Thursday could send us into the final game against Man City full of confidence, and you just never know in this league.
We could still have a major part to play in both the relegation battle and the title race, and I wouldnāt ābet against usā fulfilling that crucial role.
Two victories from our final two fixtures would see us on 50pts which, as it stands at the time of writing, would send us 9th in the table.
It is a huge ask, given our opponents on the last day, and we would also need several other results to fall kindly for us, but again, you just never know. Stranger things have happened, and there is still a possibility of a top 10 finish, mathematically at least.
The fact we could still have a major say in who goes down and who wins the league this season is a really exciting prospect, and Iām very much looking forward to this campaignās finale at the weekend.
Whatever happens, and wherever we do finish, I donāt think we can be too disheartened by this season.
All About Next Year
That leads me nicely to my next point. We are now looking firmly ahead to next season, and we have to essentially write this one off as a bad stint at the office.
This campaign hasnāt been a classic for the ages, or one that we will remember and tell stories about for years to come, but given everything that has happened to this club over the last 10/12 months, the fact we have remained comfortable in mid table for the majority of the season is not to be sniffed at, and it puts us in good stead for the future.
We lost our captain and (at the time) our most influential player before the season started, and then saw our management team slowly dissipate bit by bit, before the trigger was eventually pulled on head coach Dean Smith.
We have taken a gamble on a young and unproven manager, and various injuries and international commitments have taken their toll, leading to a very stop-start campaign.
I hate to use clichƩs, but all of those factors have led to this being yet another transitional season for the Villa.
But even with that in mind, we have never been in any real danger at the wrong end of the table. We may have flirted around the bottom five at times, but never for long, and we have always pulled ourselves back out of there and remained safe.
We did excellent January business in bringing in Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne as big marquee signings, as well as securing the services of Robin Olsen and Calum Chambers to flesh out the squad (although the latter has proven himself to be something rather more than that!)
We now need to have a really good pre-season under Gerrard and his team, make a couple of extremely key signings whilst also tying down current players on longer deals, and this side has the potential to make a serious push for those illustrious European places next term.
Ollie is Staying
There has been a growing amount of speculation about the future of Ollie Watkins at Villa, with the likes of West Ham rumoured to be sniffing around the in-form striker.
Now, for the right money, I wouldnāt be against the sale of many of our players. Of course we want to keep as many as we can, as the core of this side is absolute quality, but I do feel any incoming funds would be used shrewdly in the market in order to improve and upgrade on what we have.
So if the rumours did prove to be true and the touted figure of Ā£40/50m was to come forward, the club would have to seriously consider the offer.
However, I donāt see Ollie going anywhere. Amid his celebrations on Sunday, he ran to the fans and seemed to gesture with a finger point to the ground that he was staying āright hereā.
He perhaps hasnāt hit the same levels he did last time around, and his goal tally is currently three shy of the 14 he managed in 20/21, but that could be down to managerial and system changes, as well as a lack of service from his teammates at times.
He is still developing as a forward, having played as a wide player for the majority of his career so far, so to have bagged himself 25 goals in his first two Premier League seasons is pretty solid going.
He has already shown that he can play alongside Danny Ings, and we know he is more than capable up top on his own, so I would love to see him stay and flourish even further under Gerrardās tutelage.
The Luiz Suarez links donāt seem to be going away any time soon, and his potential arrival would only bode well for someone like Watkins.
Training with and learning from such a lethal goal poacher could well take his game up yet another level, and further time alongside Ings also will hopefully improve their chemistry, which could provide us with an absolutely devastating forward line next season.
Coutinho at 6?
Iāve seen a fair bit of criticism aimed towards Coutinho over the last few weeks, perhaps stemming from his goal contribution drought of late.
He hasnāt registered a goal or an assist since March 10th, scoring in our 3-0 demolition of Leeds Utd, and now that heās become a permanent Villa player, he is fair game when it comes to experiencing the full force of the clubās social media experts!
Little Phil hasnāt become a bad player overnight, of course, and there is still plenty of magic in his boots. Double clichĆ© alert!
This shouldnāt need to be said really, but it does seem there are some of our fans who need reminding.
I do think his lack of goals and assists over the last few fixtures comes down to how deep he has been playing. Sunday was perhaps the most striking example of this.
At times he was operating directly in front of the back line, almost playing as a six, and it did him absolutely no favours creatively.
I am not knocking him for his workrate, and his ability to float all over the pitch is to be commended. Especially as we were told he was somehow āpast itā when he first arrived. That is utter nonsense, and he runs tirelessly throughout.
But a player like Phil has to be your creative output rather than your workhorse. Why he has slipped into such a deep area, Iām not sure. Some have suggested it is his way of moving the ball through the midfield and into attack, which he may feel isnāt being done efficiently by others? This seems quite probable, given the haphazard nature of our midfield unit this season. We have struggled to find a consistent blend in the centre of the park.
Coutinho will be desperate to thrive at Villa, and it feels like he has been taking the bull by the horns and doing some of the dirtier work himself.
I would much rather see him as a more luxury player next year, receiving rather than retrieving, and using his pure flair to unlock defences. Iām sure his role will vary next season, if and when we make a defensive midfield addition to the squad, and with the shackles off he can and will be deadly.
Up the Villa!
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