Championship promotion hopefuls Aston Villa still haven’t achieved their primary target by 2022 on Football Manager.
Aston Villa desperately want a return to the Premier League
Okay it’s probably best to start off with the bad news for Villa fans, the year is 2022 on Football Manager, and your team is still yet to return to the Premier League. The Villans came mightily close in the 2018-19 season, reaching the play-off final, where they were defeated 2-1 by Derby County.
Since then, the 1982 European Cup winners have offloaded a number of players from James Chester to Sunderland and Scott Hogan to Burnley, but the big spending has stopped. Tony Xia has pulled back on that front. Steve Bruce has retired, his replacement Lee Johnson was dismissed, so now Darren Way is in charge.
Way has put a focus on hidden gems, lower league bargains and Villa’s impressive academy graduates, but it’s yet to pay off, with the club languishing in midtable once more. Here is Aston Villa’s starting XI in 2022 according to Football Manager:
Pierluigi Gollini
Aston Villa goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini
He joined Atalanta on an 18-month loan in January, and Pierluigi Gollini’s future at Aston Villa looks precarious to say the least, but he’s turned it round by 2022 on Football Manager. The tall young Italian shot stopper returned from his Serie A loan and has been the first choice at Villa Park ever since.
Chris Solly
Chris Solly has spent his entire career to date with Charlton Athletic in real life, but the two-time Player of the Year finally left the Addicks in 2019 to join Aston Villa for £450,000. Following two steady seasons at full-back, Solly is having a bit of a nightmare in the current campaign, and looks set to lose his first team spot to Darnell Furlong.
Tommy Elphick
Another player with a precarious looking future at Aston Villa, having joined the club only last summer following four very consistent and impressive years with Bournemouth, the central defender appears to be out of favour with Steve Bruce and has been linked with multiple moves away from Villa Park. Now aged 34 in 2022 though, Elphick has become an important player, although his contract is up at the end of the season.
Nathan Smith
Nathan Smith blocking a shot by Devante Cole for Port Vale
Port Vale youngster Nathan Smith is a centre-back with a lot of promise. Having been loaned out to Torquay United, the 21-year-old won the Player of the Year award with the National League side. In his first full season with the Vale, Smith won the Player of the Season award in League One. Aston Villa snapped him up for £625,000 in 2020 on Football Manager, and he has been solid ever since.
Nathan Baker
From one Nathan to another, centre-back Nathan Baker came through the youth ranks at Villa Park and has already made over 100 appearances for the club. That figure has risen to more than 200 by 2022, although Baker is now playing regularly at left-back. Jordan Amavi left Villa in 2020 in a £6.5 million move to West Ham.
Ryan Kent
Highly-rated Liverpool youngster Ryan Kent hasn’t quite seen his career reach the heights some expected of him in 2022. Aged 25, the right winger left Liverpool for Brentford for a nominal fee in 2019, and is now on-loan at Villa Park.
Jack Price
Aston Villa signed midfielder Jack Price from Wolves for £4.8 million in 2017 on Football Manager, and he has proved to be a fine acquisition. Consistently churning out above average performances, the deep-lying playmaker is valued at more now than when Villa bought him, despite being five years older.
Conor Hourihane
Conor Hourihane celebrates scoring for Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s captain, midfield linchpin and most impressive player in 2022 is Conor Hourihane. The Irish international who arrived last January from Barnsley for a reported £1.8 million has become a really complete midfielder by the age of 30, and made an incredible 32 league assists over the last two seasons.
Jay Rodriguez
A recent arrival at Villa Park on Football Manager, Jay Rodriguez’s career has stumbled at Southampton following his injuries. An England international who scored 15 Premier League goals in a single season in his early 20’s is now looking to get his career back on track. He joined Swansea on Football Manager for £6.5 million, but things didn’t quite work out, and Villa snapped him up in 2021, playing him wide left ever since.
Takuma Asano
Japanese international Takuma Asano is currently on-loan at Stuttgart from Arsenal in real life, but he is starring for the Villa by 2022 on FM. A quick and direct forward, Villa paid £3.5 million to bring him to the club from Arsenal, and he has since scored a reasonable if not amazing 36 goals in 106 games.
Scott Hoare
No 2022 Football Manager XI would be quite complete without a regen, and Aston Villa’s is Scott Hoare. A 19-year-old England under-21 and product of Villa’s own academy, Hoare is strong and tenacious but also has a fine first touch and an eye for goal. He scored 10 goals in 39 games in his debut season but has already bagged 12 goals in 23 games in his second, making him the second highest scorer in the Championship.
Aston Villa have replaced both Steve Bruce and Lee Johnson by 2022
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