Aston Villa secured Europa Conference League qualification on the final day of the Premier League campaign to round off a scintillating 2022-23 season.
It all began in disappointing fashion as Steven Gerrard was sacked after the first 11 league games, leaving the Villans in a dire 17th place.
When he left, the men in claret and blue were above 18th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers by goal difference alone.
But what happened next was extraordinary, as four-time Europa League winner Unai Emery braved the job to save the day.
Arriving from Villarreal, the former Arsenal man won his first game against Manchester United to kick off an almighty revival.
Although Villa were knocked out of both cup competitions early, Emery managed to quickly steer his side away from the relegation zone and into top-half contention.
After what seemed like years in 11th place and a 2-0 victory away at Chelsea later, Villa were finally up to 10th and they then went on a tremendous winning streak.
Come the end of April and qualifying for Europe looked like a real possibility. Villa arrived at the final three games needing seven points out of nine and they got just that.
Beating Tottenham Hotspur was vital but plenty was still to be done as Emery’s men drew 1-1 away at Liverpool and then beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1.
European football secured for the first time in 13 years and what was at first a woeful season had been transformed into an incredibly successful one.
Emery was of course at the heart of it, but he’d be the first to tell you a lot of it was down to his squad of players.
With that in mind, we’ve rated all 24 of those who played throughout the 2022-23 campaign out of 10, with explanations for each.
1. Emiliano Martinez - 8.5/10
Officially named as the best goalkeeper in the world by FIFA, Martinez certainly lived up to the plaudits with some outstanding displays. Managed to keep 11 clean sheets, including a run of six in eight matches between gameweeks 25-31. Missed just two Premier League fixtures all season and that was only due to celebrating winning the World Cup, which is absolutely fair enough.
2. Robin Olsen - 4.5/10
Made just four appearances all campaign as the backup to Martinez. Did keep one clean sheet in the vital 2-0 win away at Tottenham Hotspur but made lots of mistakes in the other fixtures. Coming off the bench for an injured Martinez at Newcastle United comes to mind as a particularly poor day at the office. Maybe harsh, but we reckon a 4.5/10 is acceptable.
3. Matty Cash - 6.5/10
If it wasn’t for the Poland international’s inconsistency he would’ve had a far better rating, but it’s difficult to look past a number of poor displays. These include the 4-0 loss at Newcastle, the 1-1 draw at West Ham and the 4-2 defeat against Leicester. Whether or not Emery will sign a new right-back to replace him awaits to be seen.
4. Ashley Young - 8/10
Didn’t look a day beyond 30 years of age as he worked incredibly hard and used his experienced effectively whenever called upon. Many are gutted Young’s time at the club is coming to an end and that just shows how much of a positive impact he had on the season. Well done on a fantastic Villa career, Ashley.