Aston Villa had a very poor start to the 2022-23 Premier League season which set them up for a relation fight.
It culminated in the sacking of Steven Gerrard in October and once Unai Emery was appointed from Villarreal, ease of life came to Villa Park as the Villians jumped from the bottom and finished in seventh place, qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League next season, their first European participation since the 2010-11 season.
Best player: Jacob Ramsey
The Villa Academy graduate was ever-present for the Villians, missing only three games due to a hamstring injury while being named in the starting XI 31 times.
The Birmingham-born midfielder also had a hand in 13 league goals (six goals, seven assists), a better tally from the 2021-22 season (six goals, one assist).
Still only 22 years of age, the future is very bright for Ramsey at Villa Park.
Flop Signing: Diego Carlos
The Brazilian centre-back joined from Sevilla last summer and was expected to improve Villa’s defence.
After two appearances at the start of the season, Carlos ruptured his Achilles tendon and it kept him out for virtually the rest of the campaign. He returned to action on match week 35, playing 25 minutes in a 1-0 defeat at Midlands rivals Wolverhampton.
Prior to that appearance, he was an unused substitute in nine consecutive games.
Best game: Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United
This was the first game Unai Emery took charge of after he left Villarreal and he made his intentions known with a masterclass against the recurrent and in-form Red Devils.
Leon Bailey, Lucas Digne and Ramsey were the goalscorers on the day and the result was a catalyst in reversing Villa’s fortunes from relegation battlers to European candidates.
Worst result: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal
Villa gave the then-league leaders a run for their money in this clash at Villa Park, first going ahead on two occasions through Watkins and Phillippe Coutinho.
They could not hold to the lead as Arsenal fought their way back with Oleksandr Zinchenko equalising for 2-2 before Emiliano Martinez (own goal) and Gabriel Martinelli struck in added time to complete the comeback, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of Villa fans.
Top scorer: Ollie Watkins
The former Brentford man had his best season in a Villa shirt as scored 15 times to finish with the most goals for the season for the club, missing all but one game.
Watkins’s best performance was in a 3-0 win over top-four finishers Newcastle United, scoring a brace and providing an assist for Ramsey.
Such brilliant form from Watkins will be needed next season when they participate in the Europa Conference League.
