It’s fair to say there aren’t too many similarities between Aston Villa and AC Milan, but this week they are both sitting pretty, side-by-side at the top of the standings.
Dean Smith’s side and the Italian giants are the only two teams in Europe to have won every league match so far this season, and the Villains have well and truly taken the Premier League by storm.
In their opening four matches, they have downed Sheffield United, Fulham, Liverpool and Leicester, most memorably sticking seven past the Premier League champions in one of the most incredible matches in recent times.
They are now into 66/1 to win the title, so where has it gone so right for a team that avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth just under three months ago? Sportsmail takes a look…
Aston Villa are flying high with four wins from their first four Premier League matches
The new boys and their instant impact
The incredible impact of Aston Villa’s hard work in the transfer market was laid bare on Sunday night when Ross Barkley fired in a late winner against Leicester with all five of the club’s new signings on the pitch.
Not only have Villa strengthened their squad, but their first XI is now considerably different to what it was just three months ago, when they avoided relegation to the Championship on the final day of the season.
While keeping Jack Grealish at the club was absolutely huge, the arrivals of Ollie Watkins, Bertrand Traore, Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash and Ross Barkley have taken Villa to the next level.
It was Barkley who fired in the winner on Sunday, but at the other end Martinez has kept three clean sheets in four matches and Cash has been an ever-present throughout.
Watkins was the most high-profile arrival, with Dean Smith and the club’s hierarchy splashing £28m to secure his services from Brentford. He already has five goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Liverpool in the 7-2 rout.
Ross Barkley (centre) scored the late winner against Leicester and has hit the ground running
Ollie Watkins holds the match ball after scoring a hat-trick against champions Liverpool
In goal, former Arsenal keeper Emi Martinez has kept three clean sheets in four matches
Jack Grealish tops the list of ‘touches’ for Villa
Grealish stepping up
As mentioned, keeping Grealish at his boyhood club was vitally important to Aston Villa’s chances of avoiding another relegation battle, but even he will be surprised by the level of success the team have had in the early part of the season.
The No 10 has played every minute in the Premier League so far, contributing a huge amount in every match to help secure four wins in four. In terms of dribbles completed, he has nearly double any of his team-mates with 14, while he has had the most touches (259) of any Aston Villa player so far this season too.
Across the league, only Son Heung-min, James Rodriguez and Mohamed Salah have created more chances than his 14, and he is on a par with Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes. All in all, it’s been an incredible start to the season for the Englishman.
Just when the team need him, he has stepped up to the plate and looking ahead, home games against Leeds and Southampton in the next two represent a chance to push even further at the top of the division.
Although there was interest in him from other clubs throughout the transfer window, Grealish might be thanking his lucky stars that he stuck around at Villa Park and signed a new contract if this early-season form continues.
Grealish is flying and him signing a new deal this summer has been instrumental to the success
Grealish has created 13 chances from open play in just five matches so far this season
Mings-Konsa-Terry dream team
In Tyrone Mings, Aston Villa have one of the division’s best centre backs. He has been mightily impressive in the early part of the season, forming something of a wall between the attacking threat and Martinez’s goal.
Although much has been said about the five new arrivals through the door at Villa Park, tying Mings down to a new deal has been absolutely instrumental.
John Terry doesn’t quite have the same presence in the dugout as he did on the pitch, but his impact on the squad – and the defence in particular – cannot be overlooked. Having one of England’s best ever defenders to lean on for advice is invaluable and they appear to have created something of a dream team in their back line.
John Terry (left) has had a big impact on Villa’s defence, and helping the likes of Tyrone Mings
And that team certainly includes Ezri Konsa, who has also played the full 90 minutes alongside Mings in each of Villa’s four victories to start the season.
The 22-year-old England U21s youngster was moved back into the defence by Dean Smith at the end of last season and has looked brilliant ever since.
In eight games at centre back, Villa have won six and drawn two, conceding just four goals. Konsa has almost certainly put himself in with a decent shout of earning a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad if he continues this form.
Ezri Konsa (right) is also proving to be a star after Dean Smith moved him back to the defence
Dean Smith at the helm
The boyhood Aston Villa fan is now in his third season managing the team, having taken them up from the Championship and then kept them in the Premier League last season.
He has taken plenty of stick from his doubters, but Smith looks every bit a Premier League manager this season and now seems to have fully integrated himself into the role at Villa Park.
It was a huge gamble for him to take the reins at a club so close to his heart, but the players love him and it is paying dividends now. He worked incredibly hard during lockdown to improve his side’s fortunes and their form since has been imperious.
Smith now looks at home in the Premier League and is proving his doubters wrong this season
No pressure from fans
Although impossible to prove whether the lack of fans in stadia has played a big part, Villa’s turnaround has coincided with the coronavirus pandemic.
Before the shutdown at the end of March, Villa were moored in the bottom three of the Premier League, stuck in 19th and going nowhere. After the return of action behind closed doors, the Villains managed to drag themselves away from the relegation zone, and have now started this season brilliantly.
Villa Park is a notoriously loud stadium, with the fans close to the pitch and it can be a difficult place to play for both the home and away teams. Perhaps the lack of fans has enabled Villa to focus on their football and start picking up points.
An empty Villa Park appears to have taken some of the pressure away from the players