When looking at how the back half of the Aston Villa season unfolded, there weren't too many more in-form sides in the Premier League. Yes, the disappointment against Manchester United ultimately resulted in being left out of a Champions League spot. That was despite an incredible push from Unai Emery's side.
The issue was more in how the first portion of the season for Villa went. In particular, too many conceded goals ended up making the prospect of qualifying for Champions League throughout the final month that much more daunting when also taking goal differential into account.
Going to a more extreme level of fandom, during the incredible late run of Villa, there were some wondering how things would look if Unai Emery's men had been able to keep up the same level of play throughout the entirety of a season.
That is, of course, an unreasonable ask. Teams will always have their ups and downs, and it is difficult to always play well, much less at the needed level for 38 Premier League matches. This becomes particularly true when taking the other competitions into account.
There should be some room for a fair amount of optimism, however, when it comes to looking forward to the upcoming season. As of now, Villa will add some young, promising players and be able to keep most of the squad intact from this past campaign.
One of the best in the business is at Aston Villa
In any event, even after the summer transfer activity determines what squads actually look like, there should not be too much reason to doubt the ability of Emery. The Spaniard knows how to set things up within the side and to get the most out of his players.
There is also a considerable drive and energy level from the Villa boss that can be seen throughout the Villans. Regardless of who Villa end up lining up with in the starting XI against Newcastle United, it should be the beginning of a solid campaign and potentially a legitimate dark horse Prem contender.