The last ten years have been something of a rollercoaster for Aston Villa, with some emotional highs being cruelly countered by gut-wrenching lows.
In 2014-15, the Villans reached the FA Cup final. A year later, they had been relegated from the Premier League. Three seasons in the Championship followed, with another memorable appearance on the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium delivering promotion back to the big time in 2019.
Final-day drama in 2020 prevented an immediate return to the second tier from being made, but positive steps forward have often been followed by two in the opposite direction.
Dreams
Unai Emery took Aston Villa from relegation bound to Europe 👏 pic.twitter.com/5iuIEBgR1M
— GOAL (@goal) May 28, 2023
Villa are, however, heading back to where they believe they belong following a seventh-place finish in 2022-23. Today’s football bets have them priced at 3/1 to end up inside the top six next season, allowing European qualification to be savoured in back-to-back campaigns.
Unai Emery has allowed such dreams to form, with clouds lifting over Villa Park as the football forecast begins to look considerably brighter in the West Midlands. Where there was once fumbling around in the dark, moments in the sun are being enjoyed once more.
When Steven Gerrard was ushered through the exits in October 2022, few could have predicted that the Villans would come so far, so quickly. A change has, however, done them good and a welcome return to continental competition is about to be made.
Emery – with Europa League success while in charge of Sevilla on his distinguished CV – has Villa rubbing shoulders with the elite. They will be involved in UEFA’s second-tier tournament in 2023-24, with determination on the part of all concerned to do much more than just make up the numbers.
You have to turn the clock back to August 26, 2010, to find the last time that the Villans took part in European action of any kind. On that day, a disappointing 3-2 defeat at home to Rapid Vienna brought a Europa League quest to an abrupt halt at the play-off round stage.
The same opponents proved impossible to shift 12 months earlier, at exactly the same point of the same competition.
Villa did, however, secure their last European victory when facing Austrian foes on August 27, 2009. A first-half James Milner penalty and an effort from John Carew shortly after half-time helped Martin O’Neill’s side to a 2-1 win on the night – but that was not enough to prevent an early exit from Europe being suffered courtesy of the away goals rule.
Action
EUROPE IS CALLING pic.twitter.com/JrHTjlShBg
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 28, 2023
O’Neill said at the time: “We felt we needed three goals as there is always the possibility of conceding.” Villa were unable to keep a clean sheet, and ultimately paid the price. They were, however, regulars in continental football at that time, with a run to the last-32 of the UEFA Cup made in 2008-09.
That campaign delivered the club’s most recent victory in European competition of real note, with Ajax and Slavia Prague overcome in the group stage.
Some 15 years will have passed since then by the time that Villa return to a continental stage in 2023, but the potential is there for more happy memories to be made in the West Midlands club.
