We’re absolutely positive it can’t feel this way to Aston Villa fans, but for those of us with a more passing interest in the club… it feels weird that they were a Championship club in 2019, doesn’t it? Almost forgotten like someone else’s bad dream.
Villa’s ascent from there to where they are now has been gradual enough almost to be taken for granted, and yet swift enough to be remarkable. It took them three years in the bottom half of the Premier League before – under the guidance of Unai Emery, who joined the club on November 1 2022 – becoming part of the firmament of the top half of the table.
