Aston Villa. Last Season’s Finish: 15th. Expectations: Avoid Relegation. Predicted Finish: 13th
Manager Paul Lambert heavily relied on his young guns to steer Villa away from the drop, and was successful doing so, and now, with a years’ experience under their belt, many expect them to build on the foundations in place and have a successful season. I think retaining Christian Benteke was a must this summer, and it appears as if they have done as much. Their defensive unit was poor last year, and needed improving, and they have done so, bringing in Antonio Luna from Sevilla and highly-rated Danish defender Jores Okore should help add depth and strengthen the back line, where we hope to see further development of Nathan Baker and Matt Lowton.
The Villains will be a much improved side this season, safely avoiding the drop for me. They could do with adding some experience and creativity in midfield during the remainder of the window, the likes of Mathieu Flamini have been linked with a move, and bringing experience in would only be beneficial to their young stars as they embark on another tough season.
Key Player: Christian Benteke. He is their attack essentially. With Darren Bent being shown the exit door, it all really lies upon his shoulders to score the vital goals this season. He has the talent to do so, to be a 20 goal a season striker, it’s whether they can give him the service to perform at the same level he did last season.