Aston Villa 23/24 — Emery's Champions League Return: Full Squad & Ratings

Aston Villa 2023/24 season — all 18 players rated, best XI, and how to draft them in 38-0.

Aston Villa 2023/24 — Season Story

Aston Villa's 2023/24 season was the best in a generation: fourth place in the Premier League, Champions League football for the first time since the European Cup days of 1982/83, and a style of football that made Villa Park one of the most feared grounds in England. It was the first full season under Unai Emery, who had arrived in November 2022 to rescue a club drifting towards relegation under Steven Gerrard.

Emery's transformation was immediate and total. Villa pressed relentlessly, played out from the back with confidence, and set up with a clever hybrid shape that confused opponents all season. At home they were virtually unbeatable: Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all left Villa Park empty-handed, and the home form alone was worth a European place.

Ollie Watkins had the season of his career, scoring 19 league goals and adding 13 assists — the best combined return of any striker in the division. Emiliano Martinez, fresh from winning the World Cup with Argentina, kept 15 clean sheets and won the Golden Glove. Douglas Luiz ran midfield with growing authority, and a January injury crisis that briefly derailed the title-chasing spring was weathered thanks to a squad that had finally learned to believe in itself.

There was near-miss heartbreak in Europe too: Villa reached the semi-finals of the Conference League, only to lose to Olympiacos. But the league campaign had already secured the prize that mattered — a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League, 41 years after their last European Cup campaign. The 2023/24 Villa squad is proof that with the right coach and the right plan, a club outside the traditional elite can break back in.

The Emery Effect

Unai Emery arrived with a reputation — four Europa League titles, a CV that included Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal — but the speed of his impact at Villa still surprised everyone. Within weeks the team had an identity: aggressive pressing, patient build-up, and full-backs who tucked in to create overloads in midfield.

The tactical details became the talk of the league. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne pushed high, Ezri Konsa stepped into midfield when Villa had the ball, and Douglas Luiz sat deep to dictate. Opposing coaches openly admitted they struggled to prepare for Villa because the shape changed depending on the opponent. By the end of the season, Emery had transformed a relegation candidate into a Champions League team in 18 months.

Villa Park: The Fortress

The numbers are stark: Villa lost only one home league game all season, winning 17 of their 19 matches at Villa Park. Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham all came and left with nothing — City's defeat in December was their first in the league all season, and Arsenal's 2-0 loss in April all but ended their title challenge.

The crowd, the pressing, and Martinez's presence combined to make Villa Park a place where even the best teams in Europe struggled. It was the foundation of everything: 54 of Villa's 68 points came at home, and the away form, while patchy, was good enough when combined with the fortress.

Watkins' Career Season

Ollie Watkins had always been a good striker; in 2023/24 he became a great one. Nineteen goals and 13 assists meant he was involved in 32 league goals — more than any other player in the division — and his all-round game reached a level that earned him a place in England's Euro 2024 squad and serious talk of a move to a bigger club.

What made his season remarkable was the variety: he scored with headers, left-foot finishes, right-foot finishes, and set up almost as many as he scored, dropping deep to link play in Emery's system. In the 38-0 dataset he is rated 85 OVR, the highest-rated striker in this squad and one of the most complete forwards in the pool.

Key Players & Ratings

Emiliano Martinez (86 OVR) leads the squad — a World Cup-winning goalkeeper whose penalty-saving and presence make him a top-tier draft pick. Ollie Watkins (85) is the goalscorer and creator, Douglas Luiz (84) the midfield metronome, and Pau Torres (82) and Ezri Konsa (80) give the defence genuine quality. John McGinn (82) brings energy and leadership, and Boubacar Kamara (81) protects the back line.

At 79.9 OVR the squad sits just below the 80.7 pool average, but that hides a strong core: ten players rated 77 or higher, with quality options in every position. Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby (both 81) provide genuine wing threat, and the squad's balance — one elite goalkeeper, one elite striker, and a deep midfield — makes it one of the more versatile landings in the draft.

Full 18-Man Squad

Best XI — Aston Villa 2023/24

The highest-rated eleven available from this squad in 38-0:

• GK Emiliano Martínez 86 OVR
• CB Ezri Konsa 80 OVR
• LCB Pau Torres 82 OVR
• LB Lucas Digne 79 OVR
• CDM Douglas Luiz 84 OVR
• CDM Boubacar Kamara 81 OVR
• CM John McGinn 82 OVR
• CM Youri Tielemans 81 OVR
• RW Leon Bailey 81 OVR
• RW Moussa Diaby 81 OVR
• ST Ollie Watkins 85 OVR

Drafting This Squad in 38-0

This is a balanced squad where the pick depends on need. Martinez is the elite option if you lack a goalkeeper; Watkins solves the striker position with a player who creates as well as scores; Douglas Luiz is a top central midfielder. The depth means even a third-choice pick here beats most squads' second options.

In Legend mode the hierarchy is worth memorising: Martinez and Watkins are the clear top two, with Douglas Luiz third. Below them, the ratings cluster tightly — Konsa, McGinn, Torres, Kamara, Bailey and Diaby are all within a point of each other, so any of them is a reasonable pick if your XI's real weakness is elsewhere.

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