Aston Villa have made a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign, solidifying a Premier League top-six spot after eight matches and keeping tabs on those in Group E of the UEFA Europa Conference League. Unai Emery’s side have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup but have otherwise impressed.
Five signings were made in the summer transfer window, with £80.5 million spent. Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres, Nicolo Zaniolo, Youri Tielemans and Clement Lenglet were the additions, and some have made better impressions than others. The same can be said with the rest of the squad, with the congested fixture schedule pushing players to the limits.
With the October international break giving fans and the media alike time to reflect on the start of the season, we’ve sat down and rated individual players out of 10. There are 29 Villans judged, including three who are actually yet to feature but are expected to have a strong impact going forward. Click through the pages for a full analysis.
1. Robin Olsen - 4
Although the the results have been strong whenever he has played – three wins and a defeat with three conceded – the mistakes have been far too frequent. The Swede can be thankful not more of his misplaced passes out from the back have ended in goals conceded. It’s a shame because he’s definitely a popular figure in the dressing room.
2. Emiliano Martinez - 8
The World Cup winner has responded immensely well to the 5-1 defeat at Newcastle on the opening day with some extraordinary performances since. The 4-0 victory over Everton and the 1-0 win at Chelsea really stand out as Martinez made multiple top saves in each. A big mistake crept in at Nottingham Forest but we'd like his leadership from the back has been seriously impressive.
3. Matty Cash - 8
Has shown a real improvement so far this term, especially going forward. Emery has sometimes even utilised him as a right midfielder due to his strength further up the field. Cash has three goals and two assists to his name. He’s also one of just five to feature in every match so far.
4. Calum Chambers - 3
Did an alright job in the home leg against Hibernian but was then massively exposed as Villa lost 3-2 away at Legia Warsaw. In our player ratings from that game, Chambers was handed a three as he was at fault for all of the goals. He’s not had a chance to redeem himself but this is a ‘so far’ article after all.