By tradition and history, Aston Villa are a big club. The Villans won promotion back to the Premier League last season via the play-offs.
Dean Smith’s team kicked off life back in the Premier League at the weekend with a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham. The result failed to reflect on what was a pretty good display for much of the match. In fact, the Villans were winning 1-0 until the 73rd minute and a Tanguy Ndombele goal opened the floodgates.
Villa criticised for spending
Some have criticised Villa for spending a reported £144.5m on 12 new signings this summer. However, the additions were necessary, as 12 players had left the club at the end of the campaign.
As Villa chief executive Christian Purslow has stated, they had no choice really but to bring in so many new arrivals. He talked about an “obligation to be competitive” in the Premier League. As the former Liverpool chief stated the money spent is only the television revenue for one season.
Looking at the players who arrived, they are all well thought out and researched signings. Some have compared Villa’s transfer dealing with Fulham’s last season. However, the Villans additions look to be more targeted than those of the Cottagers.
Dean Smith is a clever boss
The Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has proven in the lower leagues that he is a very clever boss. Even on his Premier League managerial debut, he seemed to get everything tactically correct until late on, when Tottenham simply had too much sheer quality for the team from the Midlands.
Smith is one of the brightest young British coaches in the game. His reputation in the game will only grow if the Villans enjoy a strong campaign back in the top-flight. He will have the acumen to get the better of a lot of the bosses in the Premier League.
Many previous managers who have made the step up from the Championship have struggled with the step up. There are few signs that Smith will struggle to be successful in the English top-flight.
Three worse teams in the Premier League
Aston Villa’s primary objective this season is survival and becoming an established force in the Premier League once again this season. Despite the fact they won promotion via the play-offs, Villa are not one of the favourites to suffer relegation this season.
Although one game is not enough to judge a team on, from what the Villans showed against Spurs there are definitely three worse sides in the Premier League this season. If they play as well against the majority of teams this season then they will survive the drop. Not every team will have a Christian Eriksen to throw on from the bench, or a Harry Kane upfront to punish late mistakes.
There are certainly promising signs that the Villans will be able to hold their own in the English top-flight this season. It would be highly surprising if Villa are in the bottom three of Premier League come the end of the season.
Will Aston Villa avoid a quick return to the Championship?
