Gareth Barry Exclusive: Champions League Blow Makes Things Tough For Villa

Former Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry has backed his old club to regroup and mount another strong Premier League campaign under Unai Emery this season.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on Champions League football in the final throes of last season, Barry believes there are many reasons to be optimistic.

Emery’s side enjoyed a relatively successful 2024/25 campaign and finished sixth in the Premier League, securing qualification for the Europa League.

The Birmingham-based side also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing convincingly to Crystal Palace, and ran eventual Champions League winners Paris St-Germain close in an exciting quarter-final second leg at Villa Park.

Villa, who are 4/1 with football betting sites to finish in the top four this season, had looked assured of qualification for much of the run-in, but slipped out of the top five on the final day at Old Trafford, meaning no return to the Champions League.

But in an exclusive interview with Gambling.com, Barry still saw last season as a triumph given the circumstances.

“To go as far as they did in the Champions League and then just miss out on qualification again on the last day, I still thought it was an incredible season,” he said.

“But, having said that, having just missed out, I think it makes next season that little bit tougher.

“It might be a bit more difficult. But they’ve got a top manager, and I’m sure they won’t be far off.”

Emery Proved His Worth 

Emery’s side impressed in their first taste of Champions League football in more than four decades.

Having begun the campaign with a convincing win over Young Boys, they went on to record wins against Bologna and Bayern Munich in one of the most memorable nights in recent Villa Park history.

The campaign eventually came to an end with an aggregate defeat to eventual winners Paris St-Germain, but Barry, who will represent Manchester City at the Manchester Masters on September 5, believes the club should be proud of their achievements.

“I was really surprised last season at how they adapted to Champions League football while also competing in the Premier League,’ he told Gambling.com.

“I thought they’d really struggle in the league and in Europe, but they surprised me. 

“Emery showed what a top-class, experienced manager he is by juggling domestic and European football.”

Departures Could Be Damaging

Barry, who made 441 appearances for Villa, believes the club could be hindered by the departure of two key attacking threats for the coming season.

In the second half of last season, Emery’s side were helped by the arrivals of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, who both had a big impact while on loan at Villa.

Attacking midfielder Asensio made 21 appearances in claret and blue, scoring eight goals, including three across both legs of the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Club Brugge.

Rashford made 17 appearances and registered nine goal contributions across all competitions, including a brace in the FA Cup quarter-final against Preston North End.

But the club confirmed earlier in the summer that both players would not be retained, with Rashford having now joined Barcelona and Asensio heading to Fenerbahce.

“I think they’re going to miss the attacking threat they had last year with Asencio and Rashford,” Barry said.

“They’re two top-quality players who really bought into the Villa culture. 

“They were brave moves from the club because it cost a few quid in wages, but it was unfortunate to miss out on the Champions League.

“Qualifying for the Champions League means you have an opportunity to maybe keep those types of players.

“The question is, can the club bring in a couple of players to keep those levels up again this season?”