A year ago, I was heralding our Villans’ return to the Champions League thanks to taking 4th place in the Premier League. There was much excitement but some trepidation. Our Villans, with a squad stretched by the UEFA Conference League games on top of their Premier League fixtures (and various cup games), had only added Onana and Maatsen, of note. Meanwhile, they had to sell Douglas Luiz to meet the PSR requirements. So, how would this team deal with the two steps up to the top level of European soccer in Season 2024-2025?
At the completion of this remarkable season, they had exceeded their fans’, and the pundits’, expectations, The only reason that their achievement was not generally recognized was the little matter of a referee’s blunder towards the end of their 38th Premier League game at, of all places, Old Trafford! (read more below) Thomas Bramall, the relatively green referee chosen for this critical match had likely never officiated such an important fixture. The game would decide if our Villans qualified for consecutive seasons of Champions League soccer, with an estimated value of £150 million.
The influx of this revenue would have allowed the team to continue to invest in enhancing the squad and assure that our Villans would be put on a similar financial footing as Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City.
That would have been just reward for their phenomenal run against the best in Europe defeating Bayern Munich, amongst other luminaries. They succeeded in qualifying from their group of eight by winning five, tying one, and only losing one game. They went on to beat Club Brugge comfortably in the two-legged Round of 16 to qualify to face PSG in the two-legged Quarter Finals.
While PSG won and went on to beat Arsenal and Inter Milan to win the title, after also beating Manchester City and Liverpool along the way, our Villans arguably gave them the most trouble.
Consider that, in the first leg in Paris, Morgan Rogers gave us the lead before PSG stormed back with a goal just before the break, one just after the break, and one in the game’s injury time. With a two-goal deficit, it was imperative that we get the first goal in front of our home fans. Instead, we gave up two first half goals leaving us four goals adrift.
Instead of folding, our Villans raised their game and did us all proud counting three dramatic goals (by Tielemans, McGinn, and Konsa). Like two heavy-weighted boxers in the late rounds we gave it our all. The last thirty minutes saw Maatsen, Tielemans, and Asensio almost scoring. Close, but “no cigar”!
If that was not disappointing enough, just six weeks later we left Old Trafford with the feeling of being robbed. So, our Villans joined the “ever-so-close” clubs. If we did not have Unai Emery as the manager, and spiritual leader, I would be anticipating an understandable step-back.
What Emery understands is that there is no time to lick one’s wounds in the Premier League. The only way to get to elite level (and qualify for the Champions League the following season) is to build on the team he has, ensure that he has adequate coverage for every position, and focus on the Premier League.
That is not say he won’t attempt to win the Europa League, but every other way to qualify is subject to the wicked hand of fate. As we experienced the season before last, an exceptional home winning streak (eight of their first nine games) fed their confidence on the road (won eight and tied three of their 19 games).
That got them to 68 points and fourth place and entry into the Champions League.
The demands of the Champions League saw us having to win most of the Premier League games in the April and May run-in, which we did. A win against Manchester United, that the Rogers’ goal would have likely created, would have lifted our Villans to 69 points and above Newcastle.
In other words, Emery only has to have the team replicate the performance of the last two years and they will almost certainly qualify as a regular contestant in the Champions League, a true elite club.
That is why Emery is not panicking and appears to want to keep the same squad as last season as much as possible. I do not expect to see any dramatic changes.
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2024/2025 Season
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In the 73rd minute Robin Olsen speculatively kicked the ball down the field, and Morgan Rogers competed with Harry Maguire, and the defender headed back towards his goalie, the second-string Turk, Altay Bayindir. Rogers sensed an opportunity and closed in on the goalie. Bayindir had a couple options, but he dropped on the ball, trying to pick up the ball as it was rolling while Rogers poked it. The ball ended up behind the goalie, and Rogers sent it into the back of the net.
Under normal circumstances, that would have been a goal, except that the referee had blown his whistle because he had anticipated that the goalie had two hands securely on the ball.
To address such circumstances the Premier League had voted to utilize VAR in 2018 (video assistant referee is a match official, with independent access to match footage, who may assist the referee only in the event of a ‘clear and obvious error’ or ‘serious missed incident’ in relation to: a. Goal/no goal.)
The assistant informed the referee that the goalie never had control of the ball. However, the on-field referee (Thomas Brammall) was aware that his whistle meant that the regulation forbade him from accepting the VAR information. Brammall declared that the goal did not count, and the game went back to 0-0.
Our Villans, already down to 10-men, with Emi Martinez ejected, were demoralized and gave up two goals and lost the game.
If the goal had counted it was likely that Manchester United and their fans would have been demoralised and, without anything to play for, would have failed to score and our Villans would have won the game 1-0.