The Premier League concluded with one of the most eventful final days in recent memory last Sunday, while Aston Villa had a frustratingly mediocre season, with highs that were overshadowed by lows.
I’m going to look back at some of the season’s best moments. In addition, I will be discussing my thoughts on the season and looking ahead to 2022/23.
A Positive Pre-Season
Villa fans began the season with a sense of anticipation given the signings being made by the club, the excitement level skyrocketed with the arrival of Emi Buendia. Having said that, the big news out of Villa’s camp was not good.
Manchester City had activated Villa captain Jack Grealish’s £100 million release clause. Villa supporters were quick to discuss who they wanted to replace him with. Christian Purslow, CEO of Villa, was quick to put our minds at ease.
Purslow explained to the Villa faithful that the plan was never to replace Grealish with a single player, but rather with a group of players. That’s exactly what Villa did, bringing in Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings, and Ashley Young over the next month. Each transfer brought something unique to our already strong team. Young, for example, brought leadership and experience, Buendia brought creativity, Ings brought clinicalness, and Bailey brought speed.
A Welcome Return
Following a poor start to the season away against Watford; a late comeback was not enough to save a 3-2 defeat. Villa welcomed Newcastle in front of a sold-out Villa Park. Just before halftime, Danny Ings stunned the crowd with an incredible volley. The goal went on to become Aston Villa’s Goal Of The Season. Anwar El Ghazi converted a penalty to give Villa their first three points of the season. The cup came next, followed by the emergence of lethal finisher Cameron Archer. The youngster made a memorable debut by scoring a hat-trick against Barrow. Guilbert scored on his final appearance for the club, and El Ghazi scored twice.
Baileys Balling
Villa returned to form quickly, hosting Everton in a game that was altered by the introduction of Bailey. The Jamaican came on just after the hour mark, five minutes before Cash scored his first goal for Villa. While the Villa supporters were still celebrating, Bailey’s corner deflected off Digne and into the net. Digne was already assisting Villa and he hadn’t even joined! Bailey scored Villa’s third goal in ten minutes, sending Villa Park into a frenzy. Bailey was replaced once more in the 82nd minute after injuring himself scoring that goal. He fell short of the expectations he set for himself during his cameo against Everton.
The Theatre Of Dreams
The Theatre of Dreams delivered on its name by providing the Villa faithful with the away day of their dreams. Kourtney Hause was the first to reach a header that caught De Gea off guard and flew into the net. Villa were winning away from home against Manchester United!. Villa held a one-goal lead until Manchester United was awarded a penalty. That was always the case. But it felt different this time, and it was. Fernandes smashed his penalty into orbit as the away end erupted thanks to Emi Martinez’s mind games. For the first time in 12 years, Villa defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford. Wow!
Out With The Old …
After a disappointing start to the season, it was time to evaluate, and Smith was let go. I was a staunch supporter of Smith during his time at Villa, but even I could see that it was the right decision. The results were dismal, and the performances were even worse. Smith will always be regarded as a hero in my eyes for his contributions to the club, but that was in the past. We needed someone fresh to implement a playing style and refuse to accept anything less. Steven Gerrard steps in.
… In With The New
Gerrard made his Villa Park debut against Brighton and Hove Albion in front of a large crowd of excited and optimistic supporters. The Gerrard era got off to a flying start with goals from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings in a 2-0 victory. After that, Palace away. Targett and McGinn put Villa up 2-0 before Guehi equalised at the death. A good start.
A Tough Test
The third game was a big one. Jack Grealish’s first game back in his hometown against the team he calls his club. Before the game, Villa fans were not overly optimistic; they simply did not want to be embarrassed. Silva’s incredible volley just before half-time put City up by two goals. The fans were fearful, and Villa needed a response in the second half. They got it. Watkins equalised two minutes into the second half. Villa didn’t stop there; they kept up the pressure and made Man City earn their three points. What I remember most about that day was a spine-tingling rendition of Villa Till I Die directed at a specific someone.
The game that everyone had been talking about followed. Steven Gerrard’s first game against Liverpool. It was a game that shared similarities with the Man City game in many ways despite the narrower score line. It was a good start that showed Villa fans, Gerrard’s attention was purely on getting Villa back where the belong.
The Little Magician Arrived
Manchester United at Home.
Things got off to a bad start when a rare Martinez error allowed a weak effort to slip through his hands and into the net. United extended their lead to 2-0. Something had to change before Villa were humiliated. Philipe Coutinho steps in. The world-class Brazilian made an immediate impact, passing the ball to Jacob Ramsey, who scored his first goal in front of the Holte End, much to their delight. The Coutinho effect continued as he linked up with Ramsey once more, this time with the roles reversed and Coutinho scoring the equaliser. In the same season, Villa came back from two goals down to secure a draw and won away against Manchester United. Unreal.
A slip in form from Gerrard’s men kind of emphasised where this team was at and that we are far from the finished product. THaving said that, I thought Leeds’ home performance was their best of the season. The defending, on the other hand, left a lot to be desired after Dan James put Leeds ahead early in the first half. Villa responded with their own goal, courtesy of a sublime finish from our little magician Coutinho. Coutinho and Ramsey’s partnership shone once more as Coutinho set up a brace for Ramsey to make the half 3-1. Villa couldn’t hold on to their lead, however, as they were held to a 3-3 draw.
The New Recruits
January was a mixed bag in terms of results but in terms of transfers; that can only be considered a success. Luca Digne and Phil Coutinho have shown Gerrard’s pull and has improved the squad massively. Chambers, who is one of my favourite players now, hasn’t put a foot wrong at all since coming in and shown the vision for the club in the future.
Goals Galore
The next two high points of the season came five days apart, when Villa hosted Southampton at Villa Park. Ollie Watkins opened the scoring just nine minutes into the first half, before Douglas Luiz scored a rare goal just before halftime. Coutinho scored just seven minutes into the second half as Villa showed no signs of slowing down. Danny Ings scored against his former club almost immediately after the restart, completing Villa’s comeback. The home fans witnessed the biggest victory of the season, a 4-0 victory over the Saints.
Villa then travelled to Leeds for one of my favourite games of the season five days later. Phil Coutinho scored after a slow start to continue his impressive form. Leeds managed to keep the deficit at one until the 65th minute, when Matty Cash doubled Villa’s lead. Callum Chambers completed the scoring with a stunning effort into the top corner. 7 goals without reply over two games demonstrated very positive signs from Gerrard and his players.
Battering Burnley
Following those two games was a painfully poor run of five games without a win, which Villa ended with a 3-1 win over relegation-threatened Burnley. Calling them relegation threatened may paint them in a negative light, but Burnley has been on a good run since sacking Dyche. Danny Ings punished his former club early in the first half before Buendia scored to cap an excellent first-half. Watkins’ third goal put Villa out of sight. A lapse in concentration by the entire Villa defence allowed Cornet to score a consolation goal for Burnley.
Last Game Excitement
The last game of the season was an incredible day of football. Villa faced Man City, who were leading the table by one point. In second place, Liverpool hosted Wolves at Anfield. From the perspective of Villa, this was an opportunity to deny Grealish his first major trophy. Matty Cash gave Villa the lead late in the first half, and it appeared that Villa would do just that with a world-class finish from Phil Coutinho; assisted his former club by taking a 2-0 lead. Manchester City came from two goals down to win the Premier League in what can only be described as an unbelievable turn of events. It was a game that would take any fan through a rollercoaster of emotions and perfectly summed up why I love football.
An Overall Look
When considering the circumstances of the season, it hasn’t been particularly bad. However, this does not preclude us from being disappointed. It was always going to be difficult adjusting to life without Grealish, especially given how much we relied on him. However, the players we’ve brought in have had a significant impact on the team. This season gets a five out of ten from me. This is because there have been many positives, but the overwhelming truth is that fourteenth in the league with no real cup run is not acceptable for a team of our calibre and ambitions.
A Look At Next Season
Next season is already looking promising, with Gerrard and Lange already hard at work to make us a better team. This is evident with the permanent signing of Coutinho, Costa from Sevilla and the acquisition of highly coveted prospect Boubacar Kamara to bolster the central defensive midfielder position. With the improvements we’ve made and will continue to make, I’d like to see us launch a serious challenge for European football next season. In addition, I would like to see us advance much further in Cup competitions.
So there you have it, my take on a particularly bleak season. Check out the season review episode to see what the guys on the UTV PODCAST YouTube channel thought.
ELLIS BURNETT | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive ellisburnett – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
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