BirminghamLive provides the most recent Aston Villa news, and Jamie Carragher discusses the team’s prospects of placing in the top four.
According to Jamie Carragher, Aston Villa’s chances of finishing in the top four this year may be harmed by their involvement in the Europa Conference League. A point behind Liverpool in fourth place in the Premier League standings, Unai Emery’s team is presently in fifth place. Having won all of their home Premier League games thus far in 2023–24, the Villans have had an incredible start to the season.
Furthermore, Carragher has drawn comparisons between Villa and Newcastle, with the Magpies experiencing a comeback under Eddie Howe. He does, however, think it will be “tough” for Villa achieve top four finish as the Magpies did the previous year.
“There are times when you get a team that is really tight at the back but they struggle to score goals,” he said to Sky Sports via Metro. Additionally, there are teams that score goals but allow them to get through at the back.
“The teams that can perform well on both ends are the best ones. However, typically, you need the best players, such as those at Manchester City or Liverpool in recent years. However, doing it at Aston Villa is exceptional.
“And you reflect on what Newcastle accomplished to earn a Champions League spot by thinking back to the previous season.” Throughout the season, they were dismissed with the words “they won’t get there.” However, they did in the end.
“Aston Villa will have a difficult time. Their European football is their only obstacle to qualifying for the Champions League, which sets them apart from Newcastle United’s experience from the previous campaign.
Due to the manager’s track record in Europe, I believe they’ll succeed in the competition (the Europa Conference League), thus there will be a lot of Thursday-Sunday games following Christmas. Perhaps it is their only issue.”
