It makes sense to a degree to want Aston Villa to drop down into Europa League or Conference League. After all, the club and its supporters need a trophy, and sometimes the path of least resistance is the best way to get there.
Villa winning either of those two competitions would be an accomplishment. Watching Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham all hoist their piece of silverware is drawing a high level of envy from many fans.
Wishing to trade places comes with a strong, detrimental cautionary tale, however. While it's nice to ignore league play or place the heavier emphasis on other competitions, what Villa fans just witnessed during the UEL final should give a strong warning to those hoping for Unai Emery's side not to do as well as they can at all times.
After watching Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United in Bilbao, truthfully neither side deserved to win, and it is a travesty that Spurs are now going to represent England in Champions League next season.
Look on the other side of that matchup, though. Man Utd put all of their eggs in the Europa League basket. Now they are a laughingstock, very much fortunate that this year's relegated teams were historically bad, and they too have nothing tangible to show from 2024-2025.
The difference is, despite potential PSR selloffs, Villa is in a much better position. And make zero mistake, the same can just as easily be said about Spurs at the moment, although they did add a trophy and will be in Europe's top competition. There is not too much room for optimism in either manager or that either of those two clubs' next moves will be the right ones.
Villa, for as frustrating as the missed opportunity, particularly in the FA Cup, was, will remain relevant for years to come.
There is also a danger of wanting to play in a lower level of competition, just for the sake of doing so. By all means, winning any European trophy would be an accomplishment worth celebrating. It is, however, far from a given that Villa would win. Within 90 minutes, a lot can go wrong, and a side is bound to have an off day.
Approaching any competition from an assumed place of winning is arrogant. More importantly, teams only get better by playing good, quality sides.
There is a reason why Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League are in different categories. The participating teams are simply in different tiers. That should be evident by how the two UEL finalists fared in the Premier League.
To be crowned the winner in UEL or UECL is not an assumed win, but it also does not serve as the needed test that CL does. Villa wants to be and should be considered one of the better Prem sides and a legitimate threat in Europe.
Need to make progress at Aston Villa
Undoubtedly, whether its a friendly against an unknown Under-21 side or the Champions League knockout stage fixture, Villa Park will provide an atmosphere. In order for the club to achieve its goals, however, it needs to play in CL.
Despite the assistance of the media to leave Villa out of every graphic and recognition, the efforts of Unai Emery and the club are working, and AVFC is building toward progress.
Depending on how the results go on Sunday, Villa's participation and advancing far in Europa League would be something worth cheering on. The bar has been set, though, and the second leg against PSG is the current standard. To avoid going backward, Villa needs to progress further next time they are in Champions League while going for either the league title, EFL Cup, or FA Cup.