Aston Villa News and Analysis

EPL Predictions: Aston Villa vs. Arsenal; Brighton vs. Man Utd; Tottenham vs. Everton

22Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

EPL Predictions: Aston Villa vs. Arsenal; Brighton vs. Man Utd; Tottenham vs. Everton

Who will take the honors between Arsenal and Aston Villa in the big-ticket matchup of the Premier League weekend? Can Brighton build on their drubbing of Everton with a win against a much tougher opponent in Manchester United? And will Tottenham get back to winning ways against a reeling Everton after dropping points to newly-promoted Leicester City? Here are the score predictions for Saturday's Premier League clashes on Matchday 2 of the 2024/25 season. Tottenham vs. Everton On paper, Everton are one of the worst teams in the Premier League and will be among the favorites to face relegation, having done nothing to immediately change the narrative with a lackluster display against European hopefuls Brighton. Tottenham will present an even tougher task for the Toffees, though Spurs ...

Aston Villa already have regrets about the Douglas Luiz transfer with Juventus

22Aug

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Features, Premier League, Serie A

Aston Villa already have regrets about the Douglas Luiz transfer with Juventus

Aston Villa swapped Douglas Luiz to Juventus this summer in exchange for Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea, and cash, giving the Bianconeri one of the most talented defensive midfielders in the world as part of their plan to overhaul the position. Juventus remain keen on adding Teun Koopmeiners to a talented group that already contains Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, and Luiz, and they have to be satisfied so far with the foundation they have given new manager Thiago Motta. Meanwhile, Aston Villa made a major midfield signing of their own this summer in Amadou Onana, as well as signing English veteran Ross Barkley from Luton Town. But they may be coming away quite disappointed with the returns on the Douglas Luiz transfer, which was, in truth, a move forced on them by the B...

EPL Burning Questions: Marcus Rashford’s future? Brighton back to Europe? 3 new stars for Aston Villa?

19Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

EPL Burning Questions: Marcus Rashford’s future? Brighton back to Europe? 3 new stars for Aston Villa?

Here are five burning questions around the Premier League after the first weekend of action for the 2024/25 season. Can Bukayo Saka be the Player of the Season? Bukayo Saka lost out to title rival Phil Foden for the 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Season award, which didn't sit too well with Liverpool fans (Mohamed Salah) or Arsenal fans. It feels like Saka is underappreciated outside of North London, possibly the victim of his own consistency and unselfish, all-around play as a superstar winger who is just as willing to create, hug the touchline, or even defend as he is to cut inside on his trusty left foot and score. Saka showed that all-around quality in a comfortable 2-0 win for Arsenal against Wolves, and although the performance was nothing less than what Mikel Arteta an...

10 Premier League players with a point to prove in the 2024/25 season

15Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

10 Premier League players with a point to prove in the 2024/25 season

From a trio of Chelsea stars to a high-priced Manchester United duo and even a pair of very talented Manchester City stars, here are ten Premier League players with a major point to prove in the upcoming 2024/25 season. West Ham RB Aaron Wan-Bissaka West Ham purchased Aaron Wan-Bissaka to replace Vladimir Coufal as their next right back, signing the former Crystal Palace man from Manchester United after Noussair Mazraoui rejected the Hammers in order to replace AWB at Old Trafford. The game of right back musical chairs lands West Ham a potentially high-upside starter at right back - at least, higher upside than Coufal - because AWB was one of the top fullbacks in the Premier League during his time with Palace. Wan-Bissaka averaged an astounding 3.7 tackles and 2.4 interceptions p...

Every Premier League team’s most valuable player heading into the 2024/25 season

4Aug

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

Every Premier League team’s most valuable player heading into the 2024/25 season

Addressing the topic of a player's value is extremely difficult in world football, especially when comparing across positions and even ascribing value to a player specific to the team they play for. One way to define "value" is an equivalence to importance. That is to say, a player is valuable because he is important to his team, and the "Most Valuable Player", which is the phrasing Serie A uses for its annual award in a hearken to American sports, is therefore the player who helped his team the most. But in this article ,I'd like to discuss value in a less nebulous but equally challenging realm, which is a player's financial value on the transfer market in a perfect vacuum in which leverage, contract, and overall situation are taken out. Let's take a look at the most valuable pla...

Brighton join Premier League heavyweights in battle for one of Europe’s biggest breakout stars

12Jul

By Cody AcevedaNo Comments

Bundesliga, Features, Premier League

Brighton join Premier League heavyweights in battle for one of Europe’s biggest breakout stars

We are less than two weeks into the European summer transfer window, and Brighton are the Premier League’s second biggest spenders. The Seagulls aren’t done yet though. They are now going after one of Europe’s best young forwards. According to SportBild, Brighton are a strong contender to sign Hoffenheim’s Maximilian Beier. The 21-year-old center forward was one of the breakout stars in Europe during the 2023/24 season. In his first full Bundesliga season with Hoffenheim last year, Beier scored 16 goals in 33 matches. He was also a part of Germany’s squad at this summer’s Euros. Beier came on as a sub against Switzerland in his only appearance at the tournament. Pellegrino Matarazzo and Hoffenheim would like to keep Beier after his breakout campaign, but the club may not be abl...

Euro 2024 Takeaways: You already knew about Ollie Watkins, Kylian Mbappe’s hunger, farewell to Cody Gakpo

10Jul

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Features

Euro 2024 Takeaways: You already knew about Ollie Watkins, Kylian Mbappe’s hunger, farewell to Cody Gakpo

Here are the biggest takeaways after the Euro 2024 semifinals in which Spain defeated France 2-1 and England took down the Netherlands 2-1. Ollie Watkins was always this good With a bit of individual brilliance and a perfectly-tucked finish into the far corner, Ollie Watkins wrote his name in the history books by firing England back into a European Championship Final with a 90th-minute winner against the Netherlands. After Jude Bellingham unforgettably played the role of the hero with his late bicycle kick against Slovakia, it was now a more underrated player's turn to prove the Three Lions' proverbial "clutch gene" in the semis. Watkins didn't have the over-the-top Adidas commercial and wasn't hyped up as some sort of a savior or a Ballon d'Or candidate before the Euro 2024 tourna...

The best Aston Villa starting lineup after Ian Maatsen transfer

20Jun

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, Premier League

The best Aston Villa starting lineup after Ian Maatsen transfer

Aston Villa were one of the biggest success stories in European football last season, finishing fourth in the Premier League to secure Champions League football for the 2024/25 season. The Lions' success is the result of intelligent work on the transfer market, excellent managing by Unai Emery, and a host of strong individual performances, such as Ollie Watkins' breakout as one of Europe's best all-around strikers. Aston Villa qualified for the Conference League in 2022/23 under Emery, brought in one of the best young wingers in the world in Moussa Diaby, and further improved to reach the Champions League. Once again, Villa have remained proactive on the transfer market and are shoring up another need in their squad, as BBC's Nizaar Kinsella reports the club have agreed to a 35-40...

1Jun

By Cody AcevedaNo Comments

Features, Premier League, Serie A

Aston Villa planning on spending big on a midfielder who wouldn’t even start

Aston Villa surprisingly qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League this season. If the Villains are going to keep surprising us and make some noise in the Champions League, they will need to invest big this summer. Unai Emery and Aston Villa’s owners know this. They have been linked to players all around the world. One link though, has us worried about how Villa will do next year. Lazio midfielder linked to Aston Villa Corriere dello Sport claims Aston Villa are ready to make a “mega offer” for Lazio’s Mattéo Guendouzi. The former Arsenal midfielder requested a move away from Lazio earlier this season. He is reportedly desperate to return back to the Premier League to prove himself in the best league in the world. Lazio have slapped a €30m price tag on Guendouzi. Aston Villa ...

The Spanish province producing elite coaches like Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta

27May

By Javier MartinezNo Comments

Champions League, Features, LaLiga, Premier League

The Spanish province producing elite coaches like Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta

When you think of where some of the best managers in the world come from, there might be a few nations that come to mind. Italy has always had a good history of producing elite coaches and some have gone on to become world-class managers (Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Capello, Arrigo Sacchi). Meanwhile, Germany's coaching school is considered one of the toughest programs on the continent and is something that’s reaping its rewards as some of the best coaches in the current game are German (Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann). However, what if the the best managers weren't necessarily coming from a country or even a region, but a province of that country? That's the case of Gipuzkoa, the Spanish province in the Basque region that's become a factory of producing elite coa...