What if?

BFR has posted the following.
Cheers mate and if anyone has any thoughts, post them up;

What if History can Teach Emery and Villa a Vital Lesson?
Much was made of Unai Emery’s impressive record of scoring in every match prior to the disappointing 1-0 defeats at Molineux and Old Trafford as the season reached its climax. Had Villa managed to score and take a point in those games, they would have finished above Brighton by one point in 6th and qualified for the Europa League rather than seventh and the Europa Conference League.
Small margins – the ‘what if’ of our last Premier League season.

Wind the clock back 30 years, Villa’s inaugural Premier League campaign is also remembered – and always will be as a ‘what if’ season.
It is worth considering that despite the ‘champagne football’ served up by Big Ron’s charges in those simpler times of the early nineties, Villa failed to score in 10, yes TEN of the 42 games played that season – almost a quarter of the campaign. The explosive ‘deadly duo’ of Deano and Dalian completely misfired after Christmas, Atkinson’s injury before the festivities the catalyst.
With Tony Daley’s brilliance already missing through an early season injury, Villa were never quite the same in the final third which would prove to be their undoing.
Meanwhile, Cantona, Hughes and Giggs pulverised their opponents to the end.

Four of those ten goalless games were 0-0 draws, three of which were at home: Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, and Coventry City, the latter on the infamous Steve Bruce, Fergie Time, Sheffield Wednesday weekend.
The other 0-0 was at White Hart Lane, Erik Thorsvedt producing a masterclass to deny a rampant Villa.
We lost the league in ‘93 by a perceived ‘massive’ 10 points that season. But had the Villa managed to get one – just one – over the line in those four games, they’d have clawed back 8 points. Which means United win it by a mere 2 points. Close, but not close enough. But hang on. There are still another 6 games in which Villa failed to score. The final home game of the season was a devastating 1-0 defeat to battling Oldham, handing the title to United on the proverbial silver platter. If Villa win that, as they should, they take the title by a point, still with 5 goalless games: 1-0 defeats away to Norwich and Palace, 2-0 away to Saints, 3-0 away at Coventry on Boxing Day and away to Blackburn late in the season. Score one at Norwich and Palace and it’s another 2 points and the title is Villa’s by 4 points and one game to spare, the last day defeat at Loftus Road academic. In short, score 6 more goals and Villa win the league. Small margins.

Incidentally, that same goal drought would prove to be a problem for Big Ron’s side in both the previous season 91-92 and the following 93-94.

All of this analysis is irrelevant unless applied to the season which all Villa fans so eagerly await and anticipate.
The latest debate revolves around whether Emery has enough in the final third, with legitimate question marks over Cameron Archer’s and Jhon Duran’s inexperience, and even Ollie Watkins’ proven capability of going on a goal-drought of his own.
Not to mention injuries and suspensions.
Does Emery have enough to prevent those devastating 0-0s and 1-0 away defeats?

History has shown that the difference between glory and a lingering, bitter ‘what if’ is goals. Plain and simple.
Not bucket-loads, just a nice steady flow throughout the season with no unexpected and damaging barren spells.
Assuming Emery’s defence remains as resolute as last season and there’s no reason to suggest why they shouldn’t, scoring in every game, at least once, must be high on the manager’s agenda. If Villa can do that, Villa fans can dream.

What if we win the Conference League? What if we finish 4th and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history? What if we get to a Wembley final with a manager of Emery’s calibre at the wheel? All spectacular and glorious ‘what ifs…’ which are all quite reasonable and realistic targets for the coming season.
IF the goals keep flowing.

If, however, the frontline falters, all associated with this great club will once again be left with bitter disappointment and a list of ‘what ifs’.
Here’s hoping Villa have created a new history come May 2024.
BFR