Away form not as detrimental to Aston Villa's potential as many believe

When Unai Emery left Arsenal in 2019, it always felt as though the Spaniard had unfinished business with the Premier League.

The coach from the Basque country had already won the Europa League three times with Sevilla as well as a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain and so, when he swapped Villarreal for Villa last October, it was a genuine coup for the Midlands outfit.

But even the most ardent defender of Emery could not have envisaged such a turnaround at Villa Park as the one that has taken place in the last 13 months.

The club's 3-1 win over Fulham before the international break marked the first time since 1983 that they had won 13 consecutive home matches in the top flight.

And not since the 1932-33 campaign had they won their first six home games in a top-flight season.

So far, the club have comfortably balanced Premier League football with their Europa Conference League duties but with a tough schedule on the horizon, is Villa's current success sustainable?

Villa are set to face Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal all before Boxing Day and that will put their top-four credentials under the microscope.

But it is no secret that the biggest issue facing Emery and his side is the disparity between their home performances and their form on the road.

Only seven of the 25 points they have accrued in the league this term have come on their travels and they have lost away to Newcastle, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest this season.

But there is also the argument that Villa's away record is made to look worse than it is by their stellar performances at Villa Park.

Indeed, Villa's haul of seven points on the road is the same as that of Brighton and West Ham, better than Newcastle's, and only two shy of Liverpool and Manchester United's tallies.

It is most definitely Villa's home form which has fuelled their Premier League ascent but it would be harsh to label their away record as anything worse than mediocre - there are still seven sides below them in the away standings.

Improving their goalscoring record away from home would not go amiss - Villa are averaging 3.8 goals per game at home but just one goal per game on their travels.

But their away record will not necessarily stop them from going above and beyond last term's seventh-placed finish.

It is, however, worth noting that Emery's side have not had to contend with as many injuries as those around them this season.

Emery has used 23 players in the league - only four clubs have used fewer - and it would surely only take a knock to star man Ollie Watkins, who has six goals and five assists to his name, to completely throw them off course.

But losing a main man would be equally devastating for any Premier League club aside from Manchester City and for now, Villa fans should shut out the noise and focus on the positives. There are certainly plenty of them.

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