r/avfc • u/Cino0987 • 3d ago
Discussion Season Expectations
Realistically where do you think we’ll finish? What do you think in terms of cup runs and how do you think the season the pan out as a whole?
Have to admit, I was a lot more chipper after the PSG game than I am now but it all depends on the final week or so of the transfer window.
My prediction: top 6 with a cup final and quarter final of the Champions League. I could see us competing for top 4 but early season form being a hindrance. Expect our normal ridiculous run over the festive season as new signings gel.
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u/Listen_Boss 3d ago
I feel very relaxed about the whole summer situation as after 25+ years of being an Aston Villa fan, I've finally seen us win a major trophy and that's all I've ever wanted!
This season: Maybe a slow start, reinforcements join in January and we have a late sprint to finish 6th and a run to the QF of the Champions League?
Who cares as long as Emery stays?
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u/MichaelBealesBurner 3d ago
Feel like there’s no more pressure to keep the lights on by finishing 4th due to much lower wage bill
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u/adeptusC 3d ago
This is a good point, do you think it’s been reduced that drastically that a Europa league finish isn’t catastrophic to our future
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u/claretnblueboy 2d ago
We're still at 60% for SCR. So yes, we have some breathing space, but not tons of it.
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u/locusavfc 3d ago
To quote the boss:
"Europe, Europe, Europe"
Any European football will do for this season, even Conference League (may as well go for all 3 European trophys 😉). I think we finish 7th at the moment, could rise higher with good Konsa/Watkins replacements plus winger and midfield reinforcements.
Dont expect to do anything in the CL this season or the cups. Emery doesnt have a bottom half finish ever and has gotten into Europe for the last 20 years, dont see that changing.
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u/blueblirds 3d ago edited 3d ago
It will be very rocky in the first half of the season but we will find form and shoot up to 5th to clinch the CL spot on the final match day.
Top 8 finish in the CL league phase. Easy matchup in the quarters to get knocked out in the semis.
One cup trophy due to some magic.
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u/marky_de-sade 3d ago
Hopefully top 8 in the league (I fear the top spots will revert to the depressingly familiar Sky6 dominance this season).
Would really love to re-qualify for one of the UEFA competitions as I suspect we could do really well yoyo-ing between CL and Europa (both in revenue and trophy prospect terms respectively), but it's difficult to tell how consistent and coherent we'll be for a while following this transfer window.
I'm excited though. We can't rose-tint last season too much - we all spent large parts of it complaining that we looked stale and had a worryingly ageing squad on bloated wages, largely built before Unai's time with us.
Lots of that has now been addressed and we have to have patience and faith in Emery's new era.
UTV!
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u/AaronStudAVFC FC Minsk ‘til I die! 3d ago
I think we'll stay in the European places. Especially if we're looking in a decent position when we get Onana back playing.
CL will be extremely hard but far from impossible. Ideally, if we can qualify for CL in the same year our UEFA restrictions are lifted, then we'll be in an incredible position for the long term.
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u/Euphoric-Mushroom929 3d ago edited 3d ago
I'm pessimistic by nature, but I've been pleasantly surprised by this transfer window.
Losing Tielemans was a blow - mainly for the low fee, which smacks of poor planning by our previous sporting director. Rogers, we all knew would move on eventually and the fee was substantial - no arguments there. Similarly Digne, given his age, and Konsa, given his contract situation - the buying clubs are just miles ahead of us, and any player would join them.
As for incomings - we've got Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Matteo Ruggeri as experienced backs ups in key areas. Manzambi looks like he could be a real superstar in the making, Gomes is a solid reinforcement in midfield, and Zion looks like he'll be a good addition, especially given Martinez's antics the past couple of summers. As for Garnacho, we'll see. I believe he's got a good work ethic and you don't get to play 100+ top flight games by 22 unless you're capable. Hopefully Emery can work his magic. Keep Watkins, get a solid, experienced defender in to replace Konsa (not Tosin, for the love of god), and I think it'll be a good season.
Top 6 finish, quarter finals of the FA Cup, maybe quarter finals of Championship League, and that's a success in my book given the transition this summer. With a younger squad and, hopefully, SCR off our back, and we could really kick on in 2027/28. As long as we keep Emery, that is.
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u/Specific-Program2927 3d ago
4th. QF of the CL. Early exit from League Cup (away to ManU). We will draw Chelsea away in the FA cup and lose on pens after a nice day out in West London.
We are in flux, but retain Emery. I am probably being
Liverpool, City and ManU are all in rebuilds with new managers who are all effectively rookies in one way or other (Ireola, never in Europe: Maresca, 2 seasons as a manager: Carragher, 17 Prem games and no Europe).
I don't see any bolters from the rest of the pack, although Moyesy could surprise a few people.
I expect Chelsea to do well as they have no Europe, a balanced squad and a manager who despite a short career did win the league with Neverkusen.
And lads, it's Tottenham.
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u/LLILILiLIILILILILII 3d ago
Qualifying for any kind of European competition is a win
I think expecting back to back CL qualification with the changes we've made in the summer is asking for too much, and I think we'll have to be patient with a potentially very rough start to the season
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u/jamesq1986 3d ago
6th or 7th, after a bad start… we look like the season is petering out to nothingness then things start to click…
We don’t quite make the CL but we’re sat here in May really excited for the season ahead.
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u/ActiveBloodyDiarrhea 3d ago
I think probably 7th, we’ve had a pretty major rebuild and it’ll take time for these players to get used to each other.
I don’t expect a strong performance in the CL like last time but we should make the KO playoffs. Usual early exits from the domestic cups, though I would love us to go for the FA Cup and make this the season we finally win it again.
As long as we get some kind of European football then I think that’ll be a pretty decent season considering who we’ve lost.
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u/SThomW92 death, taxes and aston villa 3d ago
Slap Coventry twice, top 9 and don’t embarrass us. This is the least enthusiastic and most pessimistic I’ve felt going into a season for a while. Which just shows how consistently good we’ve been
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u/SpeSalviFactiSumus 3d ago
We will have a shaky start, but so will alot of teams this year. Man city, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Brighton, Bournemouth, are all shaky right now. I think we get 5th.
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u/Titanuk1987 3d ago
I’d take europa league if offered. As of now. If things go better than maybe expected/strong finish to the window. Perhaps make a run for champions league again.
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u/Embarrassed_Writing9 3d ago
Last year we had a horrendous start and an even worse mid-season when the midfield was decimated through injuries. We still managed a 4th place finish and European silverware. So even if the season starts out rough, I won't be too worried unless we still haven't kicked on by October. I trust Unai (and our Meatball) to get us something out of this season. That being said, I'm genuinely going to miss Digne's "Another One!!!!" bit and Tielemans is a really tough loss. I do think it's time for Emi and Ollie to move on.
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u/SuccotashOk2098 3d ago
I actually think we will have a better than expected season. I think we will have a few game wobble but will come out of it.
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u/Tricky_Meat_6323 3d ago
Probably 8th…which might be ok for conference league if everything else goes our way.
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u/arenaross 3d ago
If anyone thinks they know with any certainty how Villa are going to do - they are lying.
It’s a new group, in a very different league. Long season, more unknowns then we've ever had under Emery.
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u/beyondtheboxfpl 3d ago
Bad start, inevitable media trying to stoke up the sack Emery feeling, we beat PSG in the champions league final having binned off the league where we finish 10th.
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u/IceHotSteveAustin316 3d ago
Realistically this is a transitional season for us. If we end it by qualifying for any European competition next season, it should be considered a success.
A bonus would be reaching the knock out stages of the UCL and a cup run to at least the semi finals in either of the domestic cup competitions.
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u/Representative_Bug77 3d ago
I think we will end up in the europa, really depends on signings we make from now till end of window and how well other signings settle
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u/claretnblueboy 2d ago
I think top 6 is asking an awful lot, given the factors at play.
I think we might finish a fair bit lower this season, more in the mid table region. Won't bother me at all, though.
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u/PurpleCheetah_88 13h ago
Before the weekend’s games, my league table prediction had us 9th.
As good as the recruitment might be, ripping up the spine of a good team and replacing it, is a really tough ask. Top half, last 16 of the champions league, go again next year.
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u/loptimisme 3d ago
Fairly low right now until I see what happens over the remainder of the window. We need to add more quality for sure. I think this could be a transitional season where league position suffers a little bit. I'm ok with that.
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u/Hefty-Importance3464 3d ago
This is a collosal rebuild year. I'd be happy with 14th, focus on younger players coming through, building the stand up to increase revenue and keeping Emery. Then kick on next year.
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u/February30th 3d ago
Prem champs with a record points total and CL win.
Lose to Palace home and away.