While Aston Villa’s dramatic late win over league leaders Arsenal moved them to within only three points of the Gunners last weekend, their upcoming clash with West Ham is arguably a bigger test of their title credentials.
Emi Buendía’s last-minute goal handed Arsenal just a second league defeat of the season and continued an outstanding run of form for Unai Emery’s side. Their midweek Europa League win over Basel also means they have now won eight in a row in all competitions going into this weekend’s game.
Deliver When it Counts
But backing up that win with victory over a side they are expected to beat in West Ham would go a long way to convincing people that this Villa side are genuinely in contention to win the Premier League. The Hammers have undoubtedly improved since the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo, but still find themselves in the bottom three and have not won in the last four games, drawing three of them.
How Villa handle the increasing pressure of being viewed as potential title contenders, and how they approach the game against a side which will sit back and look to frustrate them will be intriguing.
Chelsea, for example, have recently fallen victim to failing to back up the growing hype around them. After beating Barcelona in the Champions League and battling to a 1-1 draw with Arsenal despite playing much of the game with ten men, the Blues fell to a defeat at Leeds and drew against Bournemouth, followed by a Champions League loss to Atalanta.
Villa doing the opposite of that and following their own impressive result against Arsenal by continuing in exactly the same vein as their recent performances would instead be wholly convincing of their ability to fight with the Premier League’s top sides.
Gaffer Keeps Calm
Villains boss Emery has so far played down any talk of increased expectations. “We are not feeling under pressure,” he said ahead of the game against West Ham. “We are feeling, with our responsibility, each one trying to get his best, very demanding collectively and individually and responding each competition, each moment, like we need, and nothing more.
“Of course, 38 matches, there are a lot of points to play (for), and (a) long way to be consistent and demanding like we are.
“But now, we are in December we are still feeling good, but each match is a test.
“And on Sunday is a huge test again against West Ham away, because they are progressively performing fantastic. They are really playing and competing much, much better than they did before, maybe, (he) arrived coaching, Nuno (Espírito Santo).”
Consistency is Key
The word consistency is frequently used in football but is certainly of particularly relevance to Villa. Emery may insist they have a long way to go yet, but the consistency they have shown of late has been proof that spending money and constantly re-shaping the squad is not always the answer.
While other clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea have splashed the cash and made big tweaks, Villa sticking with the tried and tested players, the likes of John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa, has helped them to build this remarkable consistency.
But keeping it going at West Ham will certainly not be as straightforward as the league table might suggests.
