After narrowly surviving in the Premier League on the final day last season, Aston Villa have shocked many this year with their consistent staying power in the top half of the league table.
Aston Villa are very much in the race to qualify for European football next season and Dean Smith has earned praise for the way he has turned things around at the club since last year.
Agbonlahor is a big fan of Smith and the work he has carried out at Villa Park over the last season.
He believes there is no pressure on Aston Villa to qualify for Europe as no one expected them to be in the race and that is likely to help them shock teams in the top half of the league table.
The former attacker said on talkSPORT: “The thing with Dean Smith is what he has done with this club is outstanding really.
“He got them promoted, kept them up, this season they have been outstanding, some great performances and I think the pressure is off now.
“Now they can go out and play freely.
“There is no pressure on them to get into Europe this season because it wasn’t expected anyway.
“I look at them now and I feel like that people might write them off for top four or top six, but they have got it in them to shock people.”
Aston Villa have pulled off big wins over some top teams in the league and are looking to qualify for Europe in the second half of the season.