Rule 1: Unai Emery is always right. Rule 2: If Unai Emery is wrong, see Rule 1.
It's a football fan's prerogative to have trust issues when things go awry. So, when Aston Villa failed to win any of their first five league games last term, some asked if the wheels had fallen off Emery's bandwagon.
The answer was a resounding no, in the form of the Europa League trophy garnished with a top-four finish.
Unai Emery's men are a trophy-winning unit, so, can they replicate that success this season? Aston Villa 2026-27 season preview
Unai Emery is always right. It's both a blessing and a curse. He has lifted Villa to their highest heights since they were European champions in 1982.
The curse: he is so central to the club that, for supporters, contemplating life without the Basque gaffer one day feels like mourning the family pet while it's still alive and kicking.
The key is convincing Emery that he can achieve everything he wants at Villa Park. That elusive silverware – a tangible reward for Villa's transformation under him – was a start.
Securing European football for a fourth successive year is another major factor in his continued contentment in B6.
What next? A domestic trophy? A Premier League title tilt? A crack at winning the Champions League?
His genius has consistently moved Villa closer to the elite, despite the bigger boys' financial advantages.
With Emery, fans dare to dream that anything is possible. And, at Villa, Emery seems to believe that anything is possible. See Rule 1.
The Coach
If Villa's redeveloped North Stand were to include a Mount Rushmore of managers, Unai Emery would take his rightful place alongside '80s icons Ron Saunders and Tony Barton. In the past four decades, he's the only gaffer to deliver a trophy and a Champions League place.
Key Player
Signed from Hibs for around £2.7m eight years ago, John McGinn has truly established himself as Villa's Captain Marvel (though the fans prefer to call him BraveArse). The generously bottomed Scot is a club icon, from his upside-down goggles celebration to trophy lifts.
Last Season's Results
PREMIER LEAGUE: 4th
FA CUP: Fourth Round
LEAGUE CUP: Third Round
EUROPA LEAGUE: Winners
Top Scorer
Ollie Watkins bagged 21 goals in all competitions for Aston Villa last season, matching Viktor Gyokeres' total for a Premier League-winning Arsenal side.
The England international scored five of those in the Europa League, en-route to his side's competition victory.
He ended his season with back-to-back braces against Liverpool and Manchester City, in his final two domestic games of the campaign.
Lesson From Last Year
The 4-0 evisceration of Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals was the most ferocious atmosphere that Villa Park has produced in a generation.
Villa must strive to repeat that vibe routinely, and not just on the big nights.
Groans about increased ticket prices are completely justified. But with the North Stand closed for its long-overdue makeover, capacity temporarily drops from 43,000 to 37,000, which puts extra onus on those fans lucky enough to get inside to really bring the noise.
Most Likely To...
Award a penalty to Villa: traffic wardens. There's more chance of the players' car park being ticketed by overly officious hi-vis-wearing jobsworths than a Premier League referee giving Emery's team a spot-kick.
The last one was scored by Marcus Rashford at the Etihad, which shows how long ago it was.
Least Likely To...
Get a statue: Harvey Elliott. And that's despite the loanee staying very still for almost all of 2025-26.
View From The Stands
Words by: PHILIP GENNOY
Last season was a huge success for Unai Emery and his squad. Finishing fourth, qualifying for the Champions League and lifting the Europa League was incredible, given the ongoing PSR compliance issues behind the scenes.
This season will be different because we'll play it with three stands! We're knocking down the North Stand to take the capacity over 50,000 for 2027-28 and the Euros.
The big talking point is who Emery must sacrifice to comply with PSR.
Our key player will be Youri Tielemans.
The active played I'd love to have back is Jacob Ramsey. As one of our own, he is missed.
The best thing about matchdays at our ground is Villa Park being one of the few iconic, historic English stadiums that remain today.
The ground I'm least looking forward to visiting is the Vitality Stadium. It shouldn't be a Premier League ground! Bournemouth – and the rest of us – deserve better.
The opposition player I'd love here is Gabriel, a world-class centre-back.
Our biggest grudge match will be against Coventry, possibly, as our only local rivals left in the division now. We haven't faced them in the Premier League for 25 years.
A social media account to follow is the podcast @MyOldManSaid, which continues to objectively call out big issues at Villa.
We'll finish in the top six – ideally in the top four – with good runs in Europe and both domestic cups.
Fixtures
AUGUST
23 Brighton (A)
29 Arsenal (H)
SEPTEMBER
5 Hull City (A)
12 Nott'm Forest (H)
19 Tottenham (A)
OCTOBER
10 Brentford (H)
17 Newcastle (A)
24 Man City (H)
31 Fulham (H)
NOVEMBER
7 Man United (A)
21 Sunderland (H)
28 Ipswich (A)
DECEMBER
2 Everton (H)
5 Crystal Palace (H)
12 Coventry (A)
19 Chelsea (A)
26 Leeds (H)
30 Liverpool (H)
JANUARY
2 Bournemouth (A)
6 Everton (A)
16 Man United (H)
23 Fulham (A)
30 Ipswich (H)
FEBRUARY
6 Sunderland (A)
10 Bournemouth (H)
20 Leeds (A)
27 Chelsea (H)
MARCH
3 Liverpool (A)
13 Hull City (H)
20 Nott'm Forest (A)
APRIL
10 Brighton (H)
17 Arsenal (A)
24 Coventry (H)
MAY
1 Crystal Palace (A)
8 Brentford (A)
15 Newcastle (H)
23 Man City (A)
30 Tottenham (H)
Title Odds
Aston Villa to win the 2026/27 Premier League title odds: 33/1
FFT Verdict
FourFourTwo verdict: Aston Villa to finish 6th.
Even with Morgan Rogers' heroics, can Emery juggle the Champions League with securing qualification again, while refreshing the squad on a PSR budget with fewer fans at Villa Park? If anyone can…
This feature was written in June as part of FourFourTwo magazine's legendary Season Preview issue which can be ordered here.
