Premier League 2022-23 preview No 2: Aston Villa
Guardian writers’ predicted position 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position 14th
Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker) 250-1
Prospects
There is no point masking it: Aston Villa intend to become a force and it does not take long in Steven Gerrard’s company to get a flavour of his desire to elevate the club up the table. Villa’s naivety at times last season grated on Gerrard, whose first full campaign in charge will inevitably attract scrutiny but, backed by billionaire owners Naseef Sawiris and Wes Edens, they have strengthened their spine during a busy close-season.
Villa got much of their summer business done early, wrapping up eyecatching moves for Philippe Coutinho (permanently), Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara, and there is another new face in the dugout. Neil Critchley, who previously worked in Liverpool’s academy, quit his role as Blackpool head coach to join as Gerrard’s assistant, replacing Michael Beale, who made the reverse step by heading to the Championship to take the top job at QPR.
Whether Gerrard shakes things up by naming a new captain will be interesting; in April he suggested the captaincy was up for grabs and that he would make a call on whether Tyrone Mings, who has worn the armband through pre-season, would retain it. The other note of intrigue is whether Villa opt to keep hold of 20-yearold striker Cameron Archer, the subject of loan interest from almost every Championship club after a fruitful spell at Preston last season. Gerrard’s decision to leave Carney Chukwuemeka at home for their pre-season tour to Australia because of the 18-year-old’s refusal to sign a new contract suggests he is unafraid of making big calls.
The manager
Gerrard requires no introduction and those who have witnessed his evolution into the technical area as a suave manager (jumper, tie and brogues are commonplace on matchdays) say he is the same as he was as a player: singleminded, a driver of high standards, and a stickler for punctuality. Led Rangers to their first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years as the team went unbeaten throughout 2020-21, including back-to-back Old Firm wins, before being lured to Villa by the former Liverpool managing director, Christian Purslow, last November. Was inducted into the Premier League’s hall of fame last year, a nod to his 120 goals and 92 assists across 504 top-flight appearances. Enjoys watching the The Office to switch off “when I’m in a bad mood or when I need to take my mind off results, I go right to [David] Brent to cheer me up”.
Transfer coup
It is hard to look past the permanent arrival of Coutinho, four years ago paraded by Barcelona as their marquee £142m signing, but Villa’s move to lure Kamara on a free from Marseille looks a shrewd deal. Gerrard made a personal check on Kamara in April, taking in Marseille’s win against Nantes at the Stade Vélodrome, and Villa feel they have acquired one of the most promising young talents in Europe. Gerrard wanted midfield reinforcements – Villa tried for Yves Bissouma in January and trailed Kalvin Phillips before it became clear he was out of reach – and has been excited by the 22-year-old Frenchman in preseason, saying: “He has a really impressive football IQ”.
World Cup impact
There is something of a South American theme. The signing of Carlos means Villa have three Brazilians in their squad, together with Coutinho and Douglas Luiz, though Carlos is uncapped at senior level, while Emiliano Martínez and Emi Buendía will hope to represent Argentina, who are unbeaten in 32 matches. Matty Cash, who was born in Slough, will fly the flag for Poland, whom he qualifies to play for through his mother, Barbara. Ollie Watkins surely has an outside shot of getting a spot on England’s plane. Villa’s first game after the World Cup is at home to Liverpool on Boxing Day.
Alternative attractions during World Cup
Head over Trinity Road to Aston Hall, a 17th century Jacobean mansion built for Sir Thomas Holte, hence the Holte End at Villa Park. In 2019, it was named the UK’s most-haunted site. When you’re done with the ghosts, the Bullring & Grand Central is Birmingham’s biggest shopping centre.
Leading the shirt sales
Coutinho, who wears No 23, is a superstar, regardless of whether you think his impact has diminished in recent seasons. The Scotland midfielder John McGinn is a big fans’ favourite – strains of “we’ve got McGinn” echoed around Birmingham New Street hours before their first pre-season game at Walsall – while Carlos, a £26m signing from Sevilla, already seems a big hit.
Social climber
Douglas Luiz has almost 1m followers on Instagram but that’s nothing compared to the 7.7m who follow his partner, Alisha Lehmann, the Swiss forward who plays for Villa Women. Lehmann played no part in Euro 2022 because she was not “mentally ready”. The Jamaica winger Leon Bailey has the backing of his countryman Usain Bolt – endorsements sometimes come in the shape of bicep emojis – but, in truth, all of the squad are dwarfed by the popularity of their gaffer, who has 10m-plus followers. A recent Gerrard post celebrated Villa’s midfield trio of England Under-19 European Championship winners: Chukwuemeka, Tim Iroegbunam and Aaron Ramsey, whose elder brother, Jacob, enjoyed a breakthrough season last term.
If Villa were a Netflix doc …
Shortly after Gerrard replaced Dean Smith last November, another Liverpool legend, Mark Lawrenson, predicted that Gerrard would be the most talented player at training, so chances are in any film the 42-year-old would be seen playing a Hollywood ball or sticking one in the top corner. “He has lost nothing,” Lucas Digne said this year. “He’s still really amazing and his passes are incredible.”