How do you feel about Aston Villa's start to the season?published at 15:57 BST 23 September
15:57 BST 23 September
As we enter the first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games of the Premier League season.
Aston Villa's win at Tottenham on Saturday was huge for Unai Emery's side, marking their first victory of the league campaign and ensuring the do not go into the extended international break in the bottom three.
Despite a summer of change and a difficult start, there have been encouraging signs - including summer signing Johan Manzambi starting and scoring after his return from injury.
How do you rate the Villains' start to the season and why? And what will Emery be focusing on during the extended break?
'Shadow of Elliott saga hangs over Garnacho future'published at 10:57 BST 23 September
10:57 BST 23 September
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho had no future with Xabi Alonso's new-look Chelsea - he did not train with the squad before leaving for Aston Villa in July.
So the move to Villa Park suits all parties. Chelsea have the chance to make their money back on their outlay to sign him from Manchester United, Villa get an international winger and the player has a chance to revitalise a flailing career.
However that does not necessarily mean it will be a success.
There is an obligation to buy tied into the loan that is believed to relate to appearances, and it is expected to be achievable - but that does not guarantee anything.
For instance, Harvey Elliott would have triggered a move worth £35m if he made just 10 Premier League appearances last season. However the Liverpool loanee - now at Valencia - was used just four times by Villa in the top flight.
Emery did not feel the 23-year-old was good enough and decided he did not want to be obliged to sign Elliott permanently just a couple of months into the season.
It raised the question for some within the game about whether a loan at Villa should be viewed with caution, and whether other players' careers could be derailed in the way Elliott experienced.
It was accepted that Elliott's options this summer were not as extensive following his season of inactivity at Villa Park.
Time will tell whether Garnacho faces the same struggle, on the back of his career stalling over the past two years.
He made his Manchester United debut aged 17 and was part of Argentina's Copa America‑winning squad in 2024, but has not added to his eight international caps since November of that year.
The Madrid-born forward also won the Premier League's goal of the season award in 2023-24 for his overhead kick against Everton while playing for United, but his output for Chelsea was disappointing.
Emery is waiting to see if Garnacho fulfils his potential at Villa, but the winger will have to wait until he gains the coach's trust, and then take his chance.
Emery the perfect man to handle Villa change - Balaguepublished at 09:53 BST 23 September
09:53 BST 23 September
Image source, Getty Images
Spanish journalist Guillem Balague believes Unai Emery is the ideal manager to deal with Aston Villa's summer of change.
Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers - goalscorers in May's Europa League triumph - as well as Lucas Digne, Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa all left Villa Park during the transfer window.
Villa have replaced those established stars with generally younger players - but Balague believes the Spanish coach will relish the challenge.
He told BBC Radio West Midlands Sport: "I don't think anyone planned for Tielemans going or Digne going.
"Once it became clear that it was going to be a bigger change than expected, it's about adaptability. That's how he's always done it.
"Everybody started to realise at the end of last season, the Europa League was a target very early on.
"Everybody realised it was the end of an era. That there wouldn't be any more after that.
"The changes have been bigger than expected, yes. But Unai will always look around at the time of the market closing and go 'alright, let's go for it'."
Gossip: Spanish clubs monitor Garnacho situationpublished at 07:15 BST 23 September
07:15 BST 23 September
Aston Villa attacking midfielder Alejandro Garnacho is being monitored by clubs in La Liga after struggling to make an impression at Villa Park following his summer loan switch from Chelsea. (Mail plus - subscription required), external
Anthony: Great players and no glue. You have to look at the spending and the homework done on the new squad. It's missing so much and yet it's not as far off as people are saying. The problem is time and it will run out by Christmas for the manager if the weak mentality is not addressed. We need lions, we've got lambs.
Jezza: It is a measure of how poor we have become that the only positive after five games is the fact that we have at last scored a goal! A shocking start to the season and an absolute indictment of our totally incompetent transfer strategy (if indeed there is a strategy) over several seasons. We have let talented young players leave, massively overpaid for new players, who are either average or permanently injured, and decided we don't need to invest in a striker who can actually score goals but instead will persist with those who have manifestly failed in that role. What an utter shambles!
Simon: Not a team and maybe never will be. So disappointing to see individuals on the pitch for Spurs, but no team. They look like they've never met before, despite the team meals and bonding.
Neil: Why did we spend £85m on Fernandes? A player we didn't need. Surely signing a dominant central striker was paramount. Solanke has been a poor signing and Marmoush isn't the answer. It's quite incredible that the lavish spending didn't address to the glaring 'goalscorer' chasm (even a forward that actually troubles opposition defenders)
Villa fans
Johnson: That was a great away performance from us, if we hadn't lost concentration and concede two cheap goals in the last 10 minutes. Suzuki deserved a clean sheet. Manzambi had a great game, so did Jackson. One to build on, especially with the international break coming handy to us. With Madjo, Goretzka and Torres back after that we should be in an even better position than recently.
Mike: Despite the nervy ending, we scored three goals, took three points and are going into the international break with our heads held high. I'll stick my neck out and say that in almost every position our new recruits were an improvement on their counterparts last season. This team is still some way from reaching its peak but the signs are that we can be a threat in all competitions. Ollie who?
Ian: Positive. There's the beginnings of a team here. Long term, Lindelof and Mings cannot be expected to play 90 minutes, and when Kamara and McGinn were substituted, we looked weak down the right flank. Suzuki was full throttle in the first half and would have been disappointed with conceding two, neither of which were particularly his fault. Jackson and Manzambi looked to be developing a good understanding of each other. Onwards and upwards!
Luyimbaazi: At last we have our first win of the Premier League campaign! The forward line did very well but Unai Emery has to address the shaky defence that almost allowed Spurs a comeback. I am going to stay largely positive. Three wonderful points in the bag. Hopefully we'll keep going after the international break.
Suzuki aiming to be 'one of the best'published at 11:44 BST 20 September
11:44 BST 20 September
Steve Sutcliffe BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
While Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson both scored, another Aston Villa new boy, Zion Suzuki, deserved as much credit as anyone for their first Premier League win of the season at struggling Tottenham.
The Japan goalkeeper made the move to Villa from Italian side Parma for a fee in the region of £30m in August.
And his performance against Spurs suggests he is more than capable of filling the very big boots vacated by the departure of Argentina number one - and fan favourite - Emiliano Martinez to Chelsea.
In particular, his two saves from Savio within seconds of each other and a moment of good fortune when Archie Gray's effort clipped wide off his foot, gave Villa the platform to ride out a period in the game when the hosts held sway.
Born in the United States to a Ghanaian father and a Japanese mother, Suzuki has already played in Japan, Belgium and Italy and won 28 caps for his country.
And speaking to BBC Sport in August, Dennis Rudel - his former coach at Sint-Truiden - stressed that Suzuki has the attributes to become one of the world's best in his position.
"It is possible if he stays healthy," said the former Union Berlin coach. "With his physical strength, there is no-one better in the world in terms of dynamic, jumping power, throws and kicking the ball.
"When I watched him at the World Cup [for Japan], his biggest strength was his mental clearness. His focus on the game or in training sessions is so good. He is always prepared and really disciplined.
"He is aiming to show he can be one of the best. He was immediately one of the top four or five goalkeepers in Serie A.
"As a person and as a player, he is a role model for how you should behave. I don't see any weakness in him."
"He has such big hands and he is powerful. When he can reach the ball, it is a 90-95% chance of a save. It is something really special."
How Villa's Jackson left Spurs 'battered' - Shearerpublished at 11:19 BST 20 September
11:19 BST 20 September
Media caption,
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer praises the performance of Aston Villa's Nicolas Jackson, saying Tottenham's centre-halves "couldn't keep up" with the 25-year-old striker.
Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa: How the Villa players ratedpublished at 20:21 BST 19 September
20:21 BST 19 September
Media caption,
Aston Villa starting XI:
Zion Suzuki: Kept Villa level with saves from Savio and Archie Gray in the first half. A fine performance but his usually excellent distribution let him down. 8
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: The right-back has struggled to adapt quickly under Unai Emery. One slip almost cost Villa a goal and was little surprise he was withdrawn at half-time. 5
Tyrone Mings: Lost the ball several times as Villa played out from the back but rediscovered his composure after the break. 6
Victor Lindelof: Relatively untroubled in the second half after needing to be alert to Spurs' early threat. Once that died down, it was a comfortable afternoon. 7
Matteo Ruggeri: A full Premier League debut for the left-back but he did not look convincing as he tries to understand what is needed by Emery. 6
Joao Gomes: In his first Premier League appearance after his opening-weekend dismissal, the midfielder was solid and able to protect Villa's lead. 7
Boubacar Kamara: It was the midfielder's shot which fell into the path of Manzambi to score, and he was able to keep Villa moving. 7
John McGinn: His tenacity was rewarded as he seized on Robertson's error to help set up Manzambi's goal. A typically dynamic display. 7
Emi Buendia: The forward loves a goal at Tottenham and scored the pick of the bunch when he found the top corner from 25 yards to seal it. 7
Johan Manzambi: A goal and an assist on his full debut for Villa as he grew into the game after a slow start when Tottenham dominated. More will be expected once he settles in. 8
Nicolas Jackson: Isolated for long spells in the first half but got his goal in the second and was a nuisance. Had earlier forced Kinsky into a smart save. 7
Aston Villa substitutes:
Matty Cash (on 46, Wan-Bissaka): The right-back returned from injury to help strengthen Villa's defence. 7
George Hemmings (on 72, Manzambi): Helped Villa to a comfortable win.
Analysis: Emery's revamped side taking shapepublished at 16:16 BST 19 September
16:16 BST 19 September
Steve Sutcliffe BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Given that the Aston Villa side that triumphed in the Europa League final has been ripped apart, boss Unai Emery will be delighted by the way his rebuild is starting to take shape.
With victories over Club Brugge in the Champions League and Coventry City in the Carabao Cup secured, his Villa team finally got off the mark in the Premier League.
And three players signed to replace some of the heroes from that night in Istanbul in May delivered for him against Spurs.
Keeper Zion Suzuki gave a performance brimming with promise, making several excellent saves and showing composure with the ball at his feet - on this form he appears a more than adequate replacement for Emiliano Martinez.
Johan Manzambi provided energy and threat playing behind Nicolas Jackson, who led the line in fine fashion and deserved his goal against opponents he simply loves scoring against.
A fifth of the Senegal forward's 25 goals in the English top flight have now come against Spurs.
Tottenham 2-3 Aston Villa: What Emery saidpublished at 16:07 BST 19 September
16:07 BST 19 September
Media caption,
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We were challenged in this match in the level we want to be and how they demanded that of us. It was a very demanding match.
"How we planned this match and the response of the players was fantastic. We defended with resilience. We waited for our moment to threaten them, and we were clinical."
On Nicolas Jackson's performance: "He is understanding of how we can exploit his quality better and his positioning. We also need runners on the field who are able to help us run in behind."
Five of Nicolas Jackson's 25 Premier League goals have come against Tottenham, netting more against Spurs in the competition than any other side.
Since the start of last season, only Dominik Szoboszlai (eight) has scored more goals from outside the penalty area among Premier League players in all competitions than Emiliano Buendía (six).
Johan Manzambi (20y 240d) is the third-youngest player to score on their first Premier League start for Aston Villa behind Gabriel Agbonlahor v Everton in March 2006 (19 years 156 days) and Carlton Cole v Southampton in August 2004 (20 years and 307 days) and just the second Villan to both score and assist on their first Premier League start after Kevin Phillips against Bolton Wanderers in August 2005.
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Tottenham v Aston Villa: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 20:10 BST 18 September
20:10 BST 18 September
Paul Birch BBC Sport journalist
Tottenham and Aston Villa have scored just one league goal between them so far, with both clubs making poor starts to the season. BBC Sport takes a look at the key themes before the game on Saturday (12:30 BST).
Spurs search for spark
In the wake of their Carabao Cup exit to Liverpool, Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi said his side have to find "La Scintilla" (the spark) to kick-start their season and finally score some goals.
This is the first time in the club's 144-year history that they have failed to score in their opening four league matches of a season.
The only time they've ever failed to score in five or more league games at any stage of a campaign was a six-game run between December 1985 to February 1986.
While the sole Premier League side to have ever gone longer than four matches without a goal is Crystal Palace, who took seven matches in 2017-18 before finally breaking their duck.
But that Palace team did go on to finish 11th and none of the other four Premier League teams who also failed to score in their opening four matches ended up finishing lower than that.
Coincidentally, one of those sides was actually Unai Emery's Aston Villa just 12 months ago as they roared into form to eventually finish fourth and lift the Europa League.
De Zerbi's side were much improved in their loss to Liverpool in midweek - actually scoring a goal, registering 17 shots and posting an expected goals tally of 2.34, which is remarkably their highest figure against an English opponent since December 2024.
This slow start was somewhat inevitable after such a huge influx of new players over the summer. Analysis by Opta has uncovered that Tottenham are the 12th team in Premier League history to give 20 or more starts in their first four games of a season to players who didn't play a game for them the season before (excluding promoted teams).
Worryingly for Spurs, only five of the previous 11 teams to do so saw their league position actually improve from one campaign to the next.
A stat doing the rounds in recent weeks has highlighted Tottenham's inability to win a game after conceding the first goal. It now stands at an incredible 47 games in all competitions (D11, L36) dating back to a 4-1 comeback win over Aston Villa in November 2024.
Villa also looking for first win
It is surely no coincidence that the sides to have gone through two of the biggest squad upheavals over the summer have both made such sluggish starts to the campaign.
Aston Villa rank 20th in the Premier League for expected goals this season with their tally of 3.39 marginally worse than opponents Tottenham, while only Hull have had fewer touches in the opposition's box than the Villans' 62. However, unlike Spurs, at least Villa did open their top-flight goalscoring account in their defeat with Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
Next on their list will be avoiding equalling an unwanted club record of failing to win any of their first five matches to a top-flight season for the second season running, and for only the fourth time in their history (also 1919-20 and 1964-65).
But Unai Emery is finally getting the chance to call upon most of his new signings having been without the majority of them for a variety of reasons. So far, only four of their 11 summer recruits have started a league match for the club - Zion Suzuki (three starts), Nicolas Jackson (three), Joao Gomes (one) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (one) - and no more than three have done so in the same league match.
Villa have enjoyed the upper-hand in this fixture in recent years, winning seven of the past 10 in all competitions, and have been victorious on five of their past seven visits to N17.
However, Spurs' win at Villa Park in May was one of the highlights of an otherwise wretched campaign for the Lilywhites.
Sutton's predictions: Tottenham v Aston Villapublished at 19:08 BST 18 September
19:08 BST 18 September
Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi has this reputation of being a great coach. We saw what a good job he did at Brighton, but we haven't seen any improvement from Spurs yet, despite the big money they have spent.
He is surely going to come under pressure soon, if their poor results continue.
They are not the only ones to revamp their squad but, if you listen to De Zerbi, after about five years they might come good. He keeps saying they need time, but he's had long enough for their results to be much better already.
Other clubs, like Hull City and Ipswich Town, have brought plenty of players in and are doing well enough - so why aren't Spurs?
I think De Zerbi has to come under scrutiny, but it is different with Unai Emery at Aston Villa.
They are also without a league win, but they look more likely to score goals, as they showed against Coventry City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
I'm expecting them to improve the same way they did after not winning any of their first five games last season, and I can see them edging this.
Do I give Spurs their first league goal of the season? Yes, but only one. They are due a deflection or Villa will score an own goal.
