Season Preview: Aston Villa

Whisper it quietly but I think that Aston Villa and their fans have cause to be a little optimistic this season.

At the back end of last season I wrote a piece in a similar vein over at Footyplace outlining why I thought that despite what was at times a bit of a disaster last season the future looked bright. You can check it out here if you feel the need.

http://www.footyplace.com/features/readers-blogs-villa-can-look-to-top-10-and-beyond-0517253752

And I have to say, although it will come as a bit of a shock to a few of you who are a bit sceptical of the journalism profession, but I totally stand by what I said. I think the club have done some good business over the summer and I think a top half finish could be on the cards. That’s not to say it will happen but from where I’m sitting I certainly think it’s possible.

Without even taking the new signings into account it would be pretty reasonable to expect the younger group of players to keep improving. They have now experienced a season in the top flight and they took a good many knocks along the way, and I think they should come out the other side a more battle-hardened group. A great example of this last season was the form of Matthew Lowton. At times in the first half of the season he came in for a lot of criticism about his defensive naivety, but by the end of the year he was consistently one of the clubs best performers was receiving good reviews from all who saw him play. Another player who went under the radar a little bit was Ashley Westwood, who I think proved himself to be a very good midfielder and should his progress continue he could be one of the catalysts to drive this Villa team forward.

But undoubtedly the standout player last term was Christian Benteke. He had a little bit of a shaky start to life at Villa Park showing that he was still a little bit rough around the edges but he quickly settled and proceeded to bang in 23 goals. A one point this summer it had looked like he would be on his way out but he has instead signed a new contract and the fans as well as manager Paul Lambert will be expecting more of the same. However this should not be taken for granted as we have seen that a good spell when joining the Premier League does not automatically mean that the form will continue into a 2^nd season. We only have to look at Papiss Cisse and Nikica Jelavić for evidence of this.

As for the new signings, the one I think that should give the fans most cause for optimism is the capture of Jores Okore from F.C. Nordsjælland. He first came to the attention of watching managers last season with a series of fine displays in the group stage of the Champions League for the Danish minnows. In the future this could prove to be a huge signing for the club, Okore is only 20 and in the January transfer window turned down a move to Chelsea. So on paper so far so good. Obviously there are no guarantees that he will be a success but providing he settles he could be a fantastic player over the next few years.

The other new players to come in are again young and on an upward curve although I can’t profess to have a great knowledge of them. Although I understand that Nicklas Helenius and Aleksandar Tonev are quite highly rated, and are expected to have a positive impact this year. And a return of confidence and form to Marc Albrighton, a player who I really like could also be a plus, after a strange season last season.

Of the players going out, I don’t really think that any of them in particular will be missed. Given and Dunne were on the periphery last season and the departure of Bent has been on the cards for some time. Although the club would probably have preferred to see Bent leave on permanent deal instead of a loan, but I have a feeling his wage demands could have been a stumbling block.

So all in all I think the club could be set for a good season and should they steer clear of any major injuries I really do think they could compete for a top half finish. I think that they could still do with signing another central midfielder with a bit of steel as they could be a little vulnerable there especially if they pick up a couple of injuries. But on the whole the future looks bright and even if they haven’t sorted their defensive problems from last season they will at least be fun to watch.

Verdict: 9th