Can Anyone Stop Villa? Europa Dream Grows as Rivals Fail to Impress
My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa PodcastShow Notes
After Villa's first leg 3-1 win in Bologna, the second leg at Villa Park seems to be a formality, but Unai Emery will take in the lessons of Bologna's win in Roma in the previous round. Champions League football isn't quite in touching distance just yet.
In this Europa Vision episode of the My Old Man Said podcast show, we take in the full picture: the Bologna second leg and what Emery needs to do tactically to see it out, the Forest versus Porto quarter-final that is poised far more delicately than expected, and what the rest of the draw means for Villa's route to Istanbul.
On the other side: Freiburg dismantled Celta Vigo 3-0. Betis face Braga. Neither represents the sort of obstacle that has stopped Emery winning this tournament before.
Villa's analysts were already spotted at the Braga versus Betis game. The show's read is clear - if Villa get their league business done in the next four games and arrive in Istanbul without Champions League anxiety, this could be the performance everyone has been waiting for all season.
Also: the Champions League maths, the surprising points target, Victor Lindelof dragging Sweden to the World Cup despite Graham Potter, the warehouse that was sold back to the club for millions and Albert Adomah's impressive milestone in the EFL.
UTV
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Become a MOMS Member for ad-free & extra shows - MOMS Membership
Join the show’s listener Facebook group The Mad Few.
Credits:
David Michael - @myoldmansaid | Chris Budd - @BUDD_music / Phillip Shaw - @prsgame
This Podcast has been created and uploaded by My Old Man Said. The views in this Podcast are not necessarily the views of talkSPORT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast
Aston Villa host Viking FK at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase, after the weeks back-to-back wins - a 6-0 win over Fenerbahçe and a 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Saturday. The show's warning is simple: this is the kind of game Villa are expected to win, and Scandinavian sides have a history of punishing complacency.
Two away wins in a row and two clean sheets in a week raise the question this episode asks: has Aston Villa's defence turned a corner, or has it only met two weak sides? Villa beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St James' Park, showing plenty of resilience, as Johan Manzambi’s header from a João Gomes cross in the first half gave them the win.
Aston Villa beat Fenerbahçe 6-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League league phase. It was Villa's biggest European win and Unai Emery's biggest as Villa manager. Johan Manzambi opened the scoring on his 21st birthday, Nicolas Jackson added two, Ross Barkley scored twice inside a five minute spell, and Tammy Abraham made it six at the death.
Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Brentford at Villa Park in the Premier League, leaving them still without a league win at home this season. Unai Emery went with Tyrone Mings over Pau Torres to deal with Brentford's set pieces, which seemed the right move in the first half, as the long throw-ins rained in, until a misplaced pass put a question mark over Villa's ability to play through Brentford's press.
Aston Villa host Brentford at Villa Park in their first game after the extended international break, still looking for a first home league win of the season. With the Bees currently fourth in the Premier League table, built on set pieces, and with a decent recent record against Villa, it'll be a good test of where this new Villa team are at.