There is a lot of excitement or nervous anticipation, depending on how one is approaching the 2025-2026 Aston Villa campaign. After what has felt like a decades-long break from any matches, Unai Emery's men have begun the preseason training, and social media was abuzz with the first look of this season's welcomed return and training footage.
For the players, it can be similar to that of the first day back to school after the summer. Catching up, interacting with one another again; there is a lot of good that comes from simply starting the routine again and getting back to the training ground.
This time around, there aren't too many fresh faces. Instead, this is a year in which all Villa fans will be strongly familiar with who is on the squad and what they can bring to the table. The fact that Emery and Monchi were able to keep the same cast of players (excluding those who were brought in on loan, of course) is a tremendous feat that deserves praise in itself.
Watching some of the early activity at Bodymoor, there is a sense of how close-knit and familiar the Villans already are with each other. Having that familiarity both on and off the pitch is something that helps any team get back into the swing of things more quickly. For Villa, this is a season that many are hoping will see the side take that next step.
Success starts now for Aston Villa
Achieving the highly stated goals is certainly possible. Especially when looking at what this nucleus managed to do last season, increased time together will only make it so that their chemistry shows up that much more on the pitch.
While many supporters will continue to wait for updates or any and all photos from their early sessions, knowing that Emery is starting to implement his crafted approach for the upcoming season has to come as a level of comfort for many Villa fans.