Have Aston Villa made an error with their Premier League priorities?

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Having been knocked out of the FA Cup to Manchester City, the same sentence could be heard dripping from the lips of the vast majority of Aston Villa fans – “Well, at least we can concentrate on the league”. Don’t get it twisted here, the Premier League matters, but I would be disappointed if supporters of any football club could accept being knocked out of a competition so that they could concentrate on another. Every team in the Premier League should be aiming to win every competition they are competing in, whether it’s the League Cup or the Club World Championship.

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Rotating teams to concentrate on other competitions is an idea that will never sit well with me if it is a sign of the team ‘throwing the match’. You may as well not even enter the competition to begin with. Trophies are not there to be disrespected, they are there to be won. I think we take competitions for granted, not knowing that in leagues below, there are teams that would do almost anything to lay their hands on that same silverware. Heck, maybe the FA Cup should come with Champions League qualification? It’s certainly worth more than a fourth place finish in the league!

As an Aston Villa fan, both cup competitions have been important to me since I started following football. I know they might be the only trophies that The Villains stand a chance at winning, but the 3rd round of the FA Cup is as important to me as match-day 19 in the Premier League and let’s be honest, when has an FA Cup match ever halted a team’s progress in other competitions? I don’t believe the FA Cup has a negative effect at all, let alone the League Cup, with most complaints seemingly coming from teams playing in the European competitions.

So, in the build-up to our 0-4 loss to Manchester City, I was taken aback by comments that the ‘match didn’t matter’. Of course it matters! Every single football match played matters! Why do we care so much about England losing friendly or exhibition games? Why did Newcastle fans get so infuriated when their team was hammered a few years ago in pre-season? Winning matters, that’s why.

Being brutally honest, Aston Villa need to compete in every game they are in, if only for the squad to gel and to ensure that confidence is built. Whilst fans may have the ‘oh well’ attitude, the players certainly won’t. Every loss may rock them to the core and the form they have built up in this new year can evaporate with every goal a ‘big’ team puts past them.

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Let’s also not forget that the FA Cup is the premier footballing competition in the world. Any team that wins the cup is instantly put into a class of their own, regardless of whether it is Wigan, Chelsea, Manchester United or Aston Villa.

To conclude, it’s a ridiculous narrative to dismiss the FA Cup because it’s a hassle as many football clubs wouldn’t be around if not for the grand old tournament and as for the argument that “Villa couldn’t deal with a European competition whilst being in the Championship” – zip it. Aston Villa have to win a cup first!

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