A rocky road to mid-table for Aston Villa, but hope for the new boss

Highs

Manchester United are nowhere near the force they were a decade ago but wins over the Red Devils have remained frustratingly scarce for Villa.

September’s win at Old Trafford was, therefore, a special moment, albeit not quite the landmark result it appeared at the time for Dean Smith (it actually turned out to be his last win as Villa boss).

Kortney Hause’s 88th minute header was the only goal of the game and though there was still time for United to be awarded their customary penalty against Villa, Bruno Fernandes blazed the stoppage time spot-kick over the bar.

November’s 2-0 win over Brighton, in Steven Gerrard’s first game in charge, got Villa’s season back on track and gave the new head coach’s reign some welcome early momentum. The 2-0 win at Norwich in mid-December was probably Villa’s most complete performance of the campaign.

Lows

October’s 3-2 derby defeat to Wolves was a sharp and stunning turning point in Dean Smith’s tenure.

Two goals up and cruising with 10 minutes to go against opponents who looked horribly short of inspiration, Villa threw the game away with dire set-piece defending before Ruben Neves’ deflected free-kick snatched the points for Wolves.

Under Smith, Villa never quite recovered from the shock. A first half no-show on route to a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal the following week was followed by a chaotic 4-1 home loss to West Ham. When Villa then lost their fifth match on the spin, 1-0 at Southampton, prior to the November international break, Smith’s three-year reign had effectively unraveled in the space of three weeks.

Star performer

After losing five matches on the spin through October and early November, no Villa player can claim to have been consistent through the entirety of the season.

But if there is one who has consistently stood out, it is John McGinn. Already firmly established as an important member of the team, his performances this term have gone up a level.

The Scot predicted as much himself, having arrived for pre-season training in what he described as the best shape of his career. Undoubtedly, there has been a greater sharpness to his game, while the improved fitness has seen McGinn look more like the box-to-box performer Villa supporters first saw in the Championship.

With three Premier League goals, he has already matched his tally from last season. Since the arrival of Gerrard, meanwhile, there has been a greater discipline to his performances and that in turn has helped improve Villa as a team. Increasingly, McGinn is its heartbeat.

What needs to improve

More than half of the 25 goals Villa conceded during their first 18 Premier League matches occurred during the five-game losing streak which brought an end to Dean Smith’s tenure. Gerrard, his successor, wasted little time in making Villa a more formidable unit.

Going forward, however, it has been a slightly different story. Though Villa won four of their opening six matches under the new boss, they did not score more than two in any of them. Indeed, September’s 3-0 win over Everton remains their biggest of the season and for a squad with no shortage of attacking talent, that feels a little disappointing.

Striker Ollie Watkins has at least rediscovered his form following an injury-blighted start to the season. Yet the combined contributions of Villa’s big three summer signings – Danny Ings, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia – has been underwhelming.

Injuries have not helped Ings or Bailey follow up on their early promise and though Buendia has shown improvement since Gerrard’s arrival, more is expected from a player who cost a club record £33million.

Target

Had Villa been offered 10th place at Christmas at the start of the season they would certainly have taken it, albeit they would have preferred the route to have been a little smoother.

In a campaign which has so far consisted of peaks and troughs, the immediate challenge facing Gerrard is to build on the improved consistency seen during the opening six weeks of his reign.

If he can achieve that, the rest should take care of itself. At the midway point, the Premier League table has a depressingly familiar look, with the traditional “big six” all in the top seven and West Ham once again the only infiltrators.

But in a division which otherwise seems to be lacking in real quality, there would appear little reason why Villa cannot challenge for the top-eight finish which was their initial aim at the start of the campaign.

They’ll need a little luck, of course, with injuries and Covid-19. A couple of canny additions during the January transfer window, most particularly in midfield, would also help their cause.

Yet significantly, a season which not so long ago threatened to be one of struggle is once again alive with possibility.