The 2022/23 season promised to be a season of success for Aston Villa. They headed into the new campaign with a number of impressive new signings under their belt. Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos — one of the most sought-after defenders in European football — traded Sevilla for Villa Park, as did Swedish left-back Ludwig Augustinsson. Young midfielder Boubacar Kamara joined from Marseille and Philippe Coutinho, who was so impressive on loan toward the end of last season, made his move from the Nou Camp a permanent one.
But the results during the first half of the season couldn’t have been any more disappointing. Prior to his dismissal back in October, Steven Gerrard was being tipped to be one of the best Aston Villa managers in the club’s history. But a dismal run of just two wins in 12 games at the start of the campaign brought about his sacking, with four-time UEFA Europa League winner Unai Emery taking over from the former Rangers boss.
In Emery’s first game in charge, he led the Villains to a first home victory over Manchester United in almost 30 years. And they followed that win up with another one, this time a 2-1 victory on the road at Brighton. As such, the Villa Park faithful head into the second half of the campaign with plenty of optimism.
Who’s next?
The second half of Aston Villa’s season couldn’t have gotten off to a more difficult start. Firstly, they face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield on Boxing Day, before travelling to fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day. Throughout the month of January however, there are plenty of fixtures that Unai Emery will have labelled as winnable.
His side face Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Midlands Derby on January 5th, before Leeds United visit Villa Park the following week. Aston Villa then make the long trip south to Southampton before hosting Leicester City on February 4th. All four fixtures represent big opportunities for Villa to pick up points, and their new manager will be doing his all to ensure that January is a positive month for the club.
Sandwiched between those games is a tie with fourth tier Stevenage in the FA Cup. That represents the perfect opportunity to go on a domestic cup run. Their new manager has earned the moniker of ‘Cup Specialist’ throughout his career, and could he lead the Villains to Wembley throughout the second half of the campaign?
