© Breaking The Lines 2017-2021. All Rights Reserved.

Whisper It Softly, but Aston Villa Might Win the Premier League

December 12, 2023
Opinion

The latest outright betting markets on who might win the Premier League made for intriguing reading over matchday 15 and 16 in early December, especially if you were an Aston Villa fan. Despite beating Manchester City at home on the 6th of December and going within a couple of points off the summit of the table, Unai Emery’s charges were priced at 28/1 to win the league.  Essentially, those long odds were saying that while Villa were an impressive team, ultimately, they weren’t realistic title challengers yet.

 

 

Fair enough – on to the weekend when Villa would host Arsenal to cap off a week of back-to-back clashes against the clubs being heavily tipped to win the league.

 

A December to remember 

 

Thanks to a John McGinn spin and smart finish, Villa would end up winning the game against the Gunners 1-0 which sparked a somewhat dramatic drop in odds with Emery’s men at 16/1 to win the title as the full-time whistle blew at Villa Park. It’s not quite Leicester City starting the 2015/2016 campaign at 5000/1 to win the title and entering the last few games of the season at 4/5 to go all the way, but something significant is happening at Villa Park and the falling odds reflect as much. 

 

Any fans wanting to take advantage of Villa’s value odds while they still are high can choose from a host of free bets from bookmakers such as bet365, Paddy Power, and BetMGM who are offering up to £40 in bonuses when signing up. The reality is that there might well be a rush to back the Birmingham-based club to win the title after a week that stunned the Premier League. Furthermore, a closer look at Emery’s record after 50 games in charge of Villa could also spark a charge to the nearest bookmakers. 

Emery’s flying Villa start 

 

Let’s start by saying that after Pep Guardiola’s first 50 league games as Manchester City boss, the Spaniard had won 29 matches. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp recorded 23 wins in his opening 50 games as Liverpool’s manager. As for Emery, the tie against City was his 50th game in charge of Villa, and the subsequent win – courtesy of a looping deflected goal from Leon Bailey, earned the 52-year-old his 31st victory.  Does a superior win percentage after 50 games over both Guardiola and Klopp mean that Emery is going to steer Villa to the title?

 

 

 

No one can say with any certainty but it does indicate without a shadow of any doubt that Villa have an extremely talented tactician in the dugout. 

 

Villa need to travel better 

 

As for what Villa can do better, they aren’t going to win the league without an improvement in their away form. This might well be the reason why their odds remain so high. Indeed, while Villa may be virtually unbeatable at home and boast a 100 per cent record, they have only managed three wins in eight games away from fortress Villa Park as of the 10th of December.

 

Could this ordinary away form improve as a result of the injection of newfound confidence Villa have now they are genuine title contenders? Only time will tell but Emery will need to turn this trend around on the road if Villa are to do the seemingly impossible and win the league.

 

Dare to dream 

 

Christmas is often a time for dreaming and Villa fans should afford themselves this luxury following a period of 72 hours where they spectacularly defied expectations. Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year if you wear claret and blue.

 

EmailLinkedIn