{"id":300958,"date":"2023-12-19T06:24:41","date_gmt":"2023-12-19T06:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=300958"},"modified":"2023-12-19T06:24:41","modified_gmt":"2023-12-19T06:24:41","slug":"can-aston-villa-win-the-premier-league-analysing-their-title-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/soccer\/can-aston-villa-win-the-premier-league-analysing-their-title-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Aston Villa win the Premier League? Analysing their title prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Aston Villa can go top of the Premier League on Friday if they beat Sheffield United, and will stay at the summit for Christmas Day if Liverpool and Arsenal draw at Anfield on Saturday. But are the Villans – who last won the top flight in 1981 – serious contenders in the title fight? Express Sport’s writers have had their say on whether Villa can produce a 2015-16 Leicester-like shock at the top of the table…<\/p>\n

Jack McEachen<\/h3>\n

I can\u2019t see Aston Villa maintaining this title-winning form until May. Unai Emery has them firing but especially towards the end of the season when they still have to go to Arsenal and Manchester City before a tricky final four games, it might be a step too far.<\/p>\n

Especially if Villa are competing for European glory, sacrifices may have to be made in the Premier League and the squad will be stretched at times. They do have every chance at securing Champions League football, however.<\/p>\n

Charlie Malam<\/h3>\n

A quick glance at the calendar year Premier League table suggests yes. Across 2023, Aston Villa are 2nd with 81 points (played 39, won 25, drawn six, lost eight). Manchester City are on 87. If – and it\u2019s a big if – City\u2019s players do not return to their usual unstoppable levels in the second half of the season, Unai Emery’s men can be right up there with Arsenal and maybe Liverpool.<\/p>\n

Their form at Villa Park is frightening and their xGA (expected goals against) is the third best in the league this season. Injury luck, though, could be a defining factor as Leicester were very fortunate to play almost the exact same 11 week-in, week-out in their title-winning season.<\/p>\n

DON’T MISS: <\/strong> Liverpool ace Virgil van Dijk responds to Roy Keane calling him ‘arrogant’<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sam Smith<\/h3>\n

This season has many resemblances to the 2015-16 campaign in which Leicester rocked world football by winning the Premier League. Several teams whose resources mean they should be challenging for the title – Man Utd and Chelsea – have endured woeful starts.<\/p>\n

Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool have not quite looked like teams capable of winning the league. That leaves a gap open for a surprise contender to come to the fore.<\/p>\n

When push comes to shove, I do not think the Big Six will allow a repeat of 2015-16. It is simply not in their best interests to have an outsider outperform them all and there will be heavy reinvestment in January to prevent that scenario materialising.<\/p>\n

Villa themselves, while winning their last 15 home matches and performing almost as consistently away, could suffer a dip in form. They do not have the resources to be so perfect over the duration of a 38-game season. Ultimately, there is good reason why Leicester were such a wild anomaly.<\/p>\n