Season 22/23 Target League Position

[thunderball]

Positives:

2022/23 Premier League will be all about the squad with 5 subs. We have a much improved squad, in depth and quality. This will notably differentiuate between the haves and the have-nots. Thankfully we are in the "haves" group of teams.

Bailey's form and availability is literally like signing a £30m+ forward this window. On paper we have a pretty solid forward line up, if Ings and/or Watkins rediscover form we are in a good place. Archer could be a surprise package.

We are tenacious, we can dig out results and this should be improved now we have a better balance with Carlos and Kamara who shoudl allow us to better control midfield and improve distribution. 

We significantly underperformed last season and had the post-Jack hangover, plus a poor pre-season and unfortunate injuries/international obligations. We wont be as bad this season.

If one or both of Coutinho and Buendia find consistent form we could surprise a few.

Comfortable start to the season should give us a confidence platform - last season the wheels fell off straight away.

We surely are better equipped and have to have a better season than: Brighton, Palace, Leicester, Brentford, Wolves and hopefully Newcastle?

 

Negatives:

Questions remain over Gerrard, big season for him, but I think he will dig it out.

Misfiring upfront and havet really addressed it.

What is our best 11? We are still a work in porgress with no clear midfield or forward line up.

We were weak in the middle last term, I dont think we have wholly addressed that despite Kamara's arrival, still missing that big time #8 to remove the doubts. Wolves and Man City capitulations may have been different with a solid, combative midfield

Not convinced by John McGinn, lets hope he kicks on

 

I reckon 8th. With consistency and a wobble in the established order possibly 7th. Anything below 9th would be a substantial fail.

 

Incidentally, had we signed Bissouma and Jesus, it would have been the perfect window and best of any PL team. These positions remain unfilled and what I think we needed. I still see City, 'Pool, ManU, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal comfortably ahead of us, but we have a chance to establish ourselves just below and kick on from there, I think we can get above West Ham this season too.

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by thunderball

[Zatman]

Interesting one of the podcasts last week said on paper this is the most talented squad in Villa history which I agree with

 

[sparrow1988]

Just now, Zatman said:

Interesting one of the podcasts last week said on paper this is the most talented squad in Villa history which I agree with

 

I really hope they said recent history.

[ender4]

1 minute ago, Zatman said:

Interesting one of the podcasts last week said on paper this is the most talented squad in Villa history which I agree with

 

Definitely in my time supporting Villa.

[AvonVillain]

Interesting read in the Guardian about the upcoming season with a predicted finish of 10th. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jul/25/premier-league-2022-23-preview-no-2-aston-villa

One thing we'll find out for sure this season is whether this feeling of various 'coups' within the camp, whether it be a ex-superstar Brazilian or superstar ex-player in charge, counts for anything at all on the pitch. Feeling a bit more pumped about the season ahead after reading that. As always, for me, the target is top 6. I'll accept 7th, however..

[MrBlack]

8 minutes ago, ender4 said:

So we're still trying to offload Traore, El Ghazi, Davis and possibly Guilbert.    Anyone else i've missed?

Wrong thread, but yes, they're the ones currently training with u21's or given no first team game time this pre season.

Think there's suggestions Sanson has done enough to hang around and get some game time (im fully onboard with this), and all very quiet on Nakamba.

Other that that think we're just looking to loan youths out.

[Peter Griffin]

14 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Conte is proven at getting maximum out of squads very quickly so yes I think everyone would be confident of europa league qualification if he was here. Also think with what we have 3-5--2 drilled into this squad would work well.

I would not be confident of Europa if Conte was manager. I think the top 6 are fairly clear and I am not including us in the bottom 4/5. So that leaves about 10 teams fighting for position in upper to lower mid table with the winner of this finishing 7th. That means finishing ahead of Leicester, Newcastle, Wolves, West Ham and Palace while assuming that Saints, Everton, Leeds and Brentford don't have a surprise season. To be confident of finishing ahead of all of those teams is a leap too far for me regardless of the manager. Yes we have an outside shot of it but by no means confident. I am confident we will finish top half, I expect 8th or 9th but hope for 7th. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

19 minutes ago, Peter Griffin said:

I would not be confident of Europa if Conte was manager. I think the top 6 are fairly clear and I am not including us in the bottom 4/5. So that leaves about 10 teams fighting for position in upper to lower mid table with the winner of this finishing 7th. That means finishing ahead of Leicester, Newcastle, Wolves, West Ham and Palace while assuming that Saints, Everton, Leeds and Brentford don't have a surprise season. To be confident of finishing ahead of all of those teams is a leap too far for me regardless of the manager. Yes we have an outside shot of it but by no means confident. I am confident we will finish top half, I expect 8th or 9th but hope for 7th. 

My biggest gripe with certain predictions/ minimum expectations, is that people seem to forget that other teams also have a say in how matches and seasons go.

Just because you improve your team, doesn't mean other teams aren't also improving, or that all the teams you expect to leapfrog will suddenly be much worse, some of which were already better than us.

On paper it's easy to make declarations, but Football, form,  and squads aren't decided on paper.

I'm saying 8th - 10th with 8th being a good season, cup run and placing above that is a brilliant season IMO.

Edited August 2, 2022 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[KMitch]

When was the last time we went into the season with a fully fit squad?  You could argue a lot of Dean Smith's problems last season were caused by the injuries/fitness issues plaguing the team for the first few months of the season.  Gerrard has no excuses now. On paper, this is arguably the strongest team we've had in 20 years with depth everywhere.  Have to get off to a flying start and keep the momentum going.  

[Dale]

3 minutes ago, KMitch said:

When was the last time we went into the season with a fully fit squad?  You could argue a lot of Dean Smith's problems last season were caused by the injuries/fitness issues plaguing the team for the first few months of the season.  Gerrard has no excuses now. On paper, this is arguably the strongest team we've had in 20 years with depth everywhere.  Have to get off to a flying start and keep the momentum going.  

Gerrard has got everything he could have possibly wished for. Absolutely no excuses. I have reservations. I want to be proven wrong. Sink or swim for Gerrard in my view. 

Top 10 it must be. Absolutely should be outperforming the Smith points total in his last full season. Which in almost any other season would've been Top 10!

Edited August 2, 2022 by Dale

[Peter Griffin]

2 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

My biggest gripe with certain predictions/ minimum expectations, is that people seem to forget that other teams also have a say in how matches and seasons go.

Just because you improve your team, doesn't mean other teams aren't also improving, or that all the teams you expect to leapfrog will suddenly be much worse, some of which were already better than us.

On paper it's easy to make declarations, but Football, form,  and squads aren't decided on paper.

I'm saying 8th - 10th with 8th being a good season, cup run and placing above that is a brilliant season IMO.

I agree completely and I think Man U and Arsenal are going to have it very tough this season as Spurs, City and Liverpool each appear to be stronger and Chelsea haven't finished yet. 

It is similar to saying we should get X amount of points imo. It is all relative to other clubs and in the case of points, it is relative to how strong the top 2 are and how weak the bottom 3 are. There is only a finite amount of points available and if the top 2/3 streak off on a record points total and the bottom 3 are stronger than the norm then points will go down for a 7th place while a tight race at the top without a breakaway group and points for 7th will rise. 

[ciggiesnbeer]

10 hours ago, Zatman said:

That would involve us winning about 20 games this season. For me it's very insane

Its absolutely nuts mate but thats the result I got and I am sticking with it! 69 points and 5th it is!

For context I was smoking legal cannabis here in California when making the list which may have influenced my judgement.

:)

[AvonVillain]

So, essentially our rivals for that 7th spot this season are West Ham and Newcastle? When do we open the chase for Europe thread!?

[Peter Griffin]

1 hour ago, AvonVillain said:

So, essentially our rivals for that 7th spot this season are West Ham and Newcastle? When do we open the chase for Europe thread!?

January 

[JoshVilla]

As a minimum, it has to be top half for me. I think that 7th/8th is realistically the ceiling but more like I think we're looking at 9th/10th.

The big thing is the consistency. For every win against Southampton, Man U etc there was a loss to Watford or Brentford. We need to be consistently beating the lower-midtable/bottom of the table teams. Everything else is give or take.

[messi11]

Top 7 for me

[AvonVillain]

1 hour ago, JoshVilla said:

 I think we're looking at 9th/10th.

With who above us in in 7th / 8th /9th, in this case?

[nick76]

16 minutes ago, AvonVillain said:

With who above us in in 7th / 8th /9th, in this case?

West Ham - some really good signings and a great manager.  Best team outside the top 6 and while some of our fans think we are better we aren’t and they have shown the last few seasons they are that level.

Leicester - had a poor season last season for them and still finished 8th.  While they have issues they are still likely to be around there.

Those are my definites and then the others I have my arguments for and against which I do above Villa as well. 

Edited August 5, 2022 by nick76

[PieFacE]

12th

[AvonVillain]

53 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Leicester - had a poor season last season for them and still finished 8th.  While they have issues they are still likely to be around there.

Yet to sign a single player, sold their legendary keeper to Nice, their best defender to Chelsea, and rumoured to be losing their main playmaker to Newcastle. Leicester have no chance of finishing top half.

*Edit* also rumoured to be in financial trouble, which makes sense in view of lack of signings and players leaving sinking ship.

Edited August 5, 2022 by AvonVillain