It wasn't too long ago when Aston Villa was fighting for a place in the Premier League. Fast forward to April of 2025, and Villa look to threaten a top-five finish. More importantly, their floor appears to be significantly up the table standings.
Now, a strong nucleus of players who have been with the club for a number of years now are on the verge of some truly incredible feats. The newer additions, and even January signings, are proving to be the exact right mixture that AVFC needed.
Finding this type of chemistry between the players, manager, and operations side of things is a near impossible task to achieve in most cases. Too many jockey for undeserved credit behind the scenes, and self-centered interests take over. At Villa, however, if it is going, it appears to be significantly less so.
Between Unai Emery keeping the players sharp over the course of the season and Monchi continuing to execute what's asked of his role, there are a lot of reasons indicating why Villa should be considered one of the top clubs in Europe by more and more neutral fans.
Naturally, it all comes down to what happens on the pitch. Many will be overall satisfied with the progress if the results start to fizzle out toward the end. Without a significant silverware addition or milestone breakthrough, though, there will be a large feeling of 'what nearly was.'
Great Aston Villa season so far
Granted, making it this far in the FA Cup and Champions League in the same year is in itself an accomplishment, but even that will seem less significant if, for example, Crystal Palace were to come away with a three- or four-goal win at Wembley.
For now, Emery is focused on each match and ensuring that everyone is ready to be plugged in at a moment's notice. A lot is at stake in terms of club perception and if Aston Villa truly belongs in the upper-level discussions. So far, they have made a strong case that they do.