At one stage Aston Villa finishing in the Premier League’s top three seemed inevitable, but the mood in the West Midlands has turned to worry.
Once the most in-form team in the league, Villa now find themselves locked in a tense top-five battle.
advertise
With just one win in their past five league games, they have relinquished control of the title race and given their rivals new impetus to take their place at the top of the table.
Stunned by Molineux
Their latest setback was a 2-0 defeat to Wolves in Friday night’s West Midlands derby.
After the game, head coach Unai Emery admitted there was a chilling sense of panic within the squad, admitting the frustration of giving rivals a chance to capitalize on their struggles.
Emery reaction
As quoted by Metro, the Spaniards reflected:
“In September I was worried and the goal was to stay in the Premier League. In December I was very happy and excited to be in the top five and win the Champions League.”
advertise
“A month ago I was dreaming of winning the Premier League. Now our average is to be in the top five.”
“Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, they are all trying to get close to us and for them getting into the Champions League is their priority.”
The ball is in Manchester United’s court
This anxiety may soon be confirmed. United will jump into third place if they beat Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Villa face a tough task in regaining their spot.
But the schedule offers little respite for Villa: a game against Champions League hopefuls Chelsea and a trip to Old Trafford next weekend make it increasingly difficult for Emery to compete for a top three spot.
advertise
For United, however, the opportunity is clear. Unlike the many wasted opportunities to climb the table under Ruben Amorim, they cannot afford to squander the chance of third place.
United are now ten games unbeaten, six of those under caretaker manager Michael Carrick, and if they can maintain this perfect form it could even propel them into the title race.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
online poll
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Manchester United news websites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social