The West Ham game was a non-negotiable. Once again, Chelsea and Liverpool had handed Villa the opportunity to take control of the Champions League race and unlike previous fumbles, this time they took it. A McGinn free-kick, a much-needed Watkins' goal, twenty-three shots, and a performance that looked more like the team that had won eleven games in a row than anything seen in the previous two months.
In this episode the My Old Man Said podcast show we break down what actually changed — why the tempo was different, why Sancho suddenly looks like the player clubs have paid six figures a week for, and what McGinn's return means beyond the obvious.
There is also a discussion of whether this is sustainable or whether it took a relegation-threatened West Ham side, forced into an unplanned formation after a warm-up injury, to make Villa look this good.
Elsewhere: Watkins dropped from England and what that means for his remaining season, Tielemans' neat twenty-minute cameo, the Digne versus Madsen question, and why Villa have scored more goals from outside the box than any other team in Europe's top five leagues.
Destiny is in Villa's own hands and it's time for them to do it themselves.
UTV
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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