Villa have to find their consistency again to retain top four place

It's fair to say that in the first half of the season, Aston Villa have been one of the most impressive teams. Their home record has been phenomenal. They've defeated both Manchester City and Arsenal and have stayed in the title race. But in recent games, things haven't gone to plan, and the Villains must find their form and consistency again in the second portion of the campaign.

At present, you'd say that there are five teams in the title race if you include fifth place and defending champions Manchester City, who are still favourites to come out on top according to Premier League betting odds. Villa are one of those teams, surprisingly to some, but with so many battling it out, consistency between January and May is going to be crucial.

Villa finished seventh last term, and they may have thought that finishing in the top six or top five, or even making a push for fourth, would have been an improvement in 2023/24. However, their remarkable home form has been the driving force behind a charge that has seen them become one of the most feared outfits in the Premier League this season.

The immediate consistency Villa must find is with their performances and results away from home. So far, it's been a case of Unai Emery's team losing as many as they win on the road, with a couple of disappointing draws thrown in there. If they were able to pick up their away form, even just slightly, they would not only be in a better position to secure a top-four finish, but it would surely keep them in the title race long-term, too, which would make for an epic finish to the campaign.

You can't really knock Villa's home form, which has seen them win all but one game at the time of writing. A slip-up against Sheffield United, where a very late equaliser Nicolo Zaniolo rescued a point for Emery's side, can't and shouldn't turn into anything more than a blip. And there must not be many more, or any more, blips between now and the end of the current campaign.

Villa have had the consistency required in the first half of the season, but the second half of the season is going to prove more testing, especially as the pressure begins to mount during the run-in. Emery will also have to continue to guide his team through a Europa Conference League campaign, a competition that they're one of the favourites to win.

The hierarchy at Villa Park could help matters in the coming weeks by allowing Emery to do some more business in the transfer market. And things are currently in the Spaniard's favour because of how impressive the work he's done has been, especially this season in particular. But they'll also be aware that they're walking an FFP tightrope, having continually sanctioned big money buys over the last few transfer windows.