View: Can Aston Villa push for European football?
By Mark Marston
Since Unai Emery’s appointment, Aston Villa have won five out of seven games in the Premier League, which leaves them in the hunt for European football.
Emery was appointed as Aston Villa manager on the 24 October following the dismissal of Steven Gerrard.
The Spaniard left his role as Villarreal manager to join the struggling Villa side, who looked set to be involved in a relegation battle but after a run of victories, qualifying for European football looks the more likely of the two.
The 51-year-old won back-to-back Premier League games in his first two matches as Villa boss which included a 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Villa Park.
Emery’s side currently sit in 11th place just three points behind Brighton and Hove Albion in sixth.
Villa have strengthened during the transfer window with the arrival of Alex Moreno from Real Betis and Jhon Durán from Chicago Fire.
Moreno provides depth at left back whilst Durán fills the void left by Danny Ings who completed a permanent switch to West Ham for a fee that could cost the London club £15million.
If Villa are to qualify for European football, they will need one of Ollie Watkins and or Durán to step up and become a goalscorer.
Ings left the club for West Ham as Villa’s top scorer after netting seven times this season, two better than Watkins’ tally.
Although goals have been spread across the team, they remain in the bottom half of the table for goals scored (12th).
Villa have scored 23 goals in total this season which is significantly lower than the two sides who currently occupy sixth and seventh, Brighton (37) and Fulham (32).
The West Midlands side return to Premier League action on the 4 February as they host Leicester City, a game they should be winning if they want to achieve a top-seven finish.
In other Aston Villa news, a 17-year-old academy prospect has signed his first professional contract with the club.