Former Premier League defender Jamie Carragher has insisted that a top four finish for Aston Villa could well likely be the maximum Unai Emery will achieve with the club.
Aston Villa are sitting fourth in the Premier League table and have caught many teams by surprise with his performances this season.
Emery’s team have emerged as genuine contenders to qualify for the Champions League this term and many are backing them to finish in the top four spots.
It is being seen as the start of a potential new era for Aston Villa under the tutelage of Emery, but Carragher stressed that there is no point in getting carried away yet.
He insisted that the more financially resourceful clubs in the Premier League will eventually get their way in the league and Aston Villa are unlikely to repeat their feat if they finish in the top four this season.
The former defender stressed that finishing in the top four this term is likely to be the peak of what Emery could achieve at Villa Park.
Carragher wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph: “There is no intention to be overly pessimistic or defeatist on Villa’s behalf – or for any of those clubs beyond the five regular trophy collectors.
“It is simply a truth universally accepted that the richest and established clubs will always show their claws eventually.
“This is not my opinion. The facts in terms of trophy distribution speak for themselves.
“For the elite, truly bad seasons are an anomaly. Even in the bad times, they are never far away from silverware.
“For the rest, the truly great seasons have become discrepancies as their successful managers move up the football pyramid, or best players are lured by those who pay the highest wages and biggest transfer fees.
“There is a tendency to mistake a good run as being the start of a new era.
“In my experience, for a lot of clubs that is one of the game’s great myths.
“If Aston Villa finish in the top four and win the Europa Conference League this season, it would be wiser to savour it as if it is the peak of a glorious Emery reign, not necessarily a taste of what’s to come.”
Aston Villa have a big challenge on Sunday when they host Champions League-chasing Manchester United at Villa Park.
