Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has applauded Aston Villa.
Tottenham Hotspur lost 0-2 to Manchester City in the 34th round (net) of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, at 4 a.m. on Friday. The loss means Spurs will finish fourth in the standings regardless of the outcome of their remaining games.
At the same time, there was another team laughing at Spurs’ loss. Villa. Villa clinched fourth place with Tottenham’s loss. They qualified for the UEFA Champions League (UCL). It was their first UCL appearance in 41 years, since the 1982-83 season.
Ferguson recognized Villa’s turnaround. The PL’s secretariat shared Ferguson’s comments on social media on Friday. When asked which team has impressed him the most since the first game of the season, Ferguson said “Villa”.
And rightly so. Villa traveled to Newcastle for their PL opener and lost 1-5. They conceded a goal in the first six minutes, quickly equalized, and then conceded four more goals in quick succession. They lost helplessly. No one was expecting a dramatic turnaround for Villa, who finished seventh last season.
However, Unai Emery and his Villa squad have defied all expectations. They completely changed after the opening game. They thrashed Everton 4-0 in their very next game, then gradually picked up their game and started racking up the points, most notably beating Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Arsenal in December.
Villa have now climbed to the top of the table. They briefly challenged for the title with Man City and Arsenal, but then faded and dropped to the top four. They were expected to compete with 먹튀검증 Tottenham for a UCL spot until the end of the season, but Spurs’ self-destructive run of one win and five losses in their last six games has given Villa the upper hand. The key was not giving up against Liverpool last time out and coming from behind to tie the game 3-3 late on to take a point.
This season, Emery’s Villa played in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). They won four, drew one and lost one in the group stage to reach the round of 16, where they defeated Dutch giants Ajax. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Lille in a penalty shootout to reach the semifinals. Unfortunately, their journey ended in the semifinals, where they lost both games to Olympiacos.
Despite missing out on the UEFA Champions League, Villa’s season has been a huge success. Emery’s stifling defensive tactics were enough to keep the big teams at bay. The offense has also improved significantly. Compared to last season (51 goals), Villa’s offense has improved significantly this season (76 goals).
