Gareth Barry thinks Aston Villa fans would pick a Europa League trophy over just sneaking into the Champions League. Villa are back in Premier League action tonight, taking on a struggling Tottenham team at Villa Park. One more win pretty much seals a top-five finish, which means Champions League football next season. Still, the Europa League isn’t out of reach, even though Villa lost the first leg of their semi-final to Nottingham Forest last Thursday. Chris Wood’s penalty gives Vitor Pereira’s side a narrow lead heading into the return leg.

Everybody talks about the importance of the Champions League, but Barry doesn’t buy into that hype, at least not for Villa right now. For him, breaking the club’s 30-year trophy drought matters more to the fans.

“From my history as a player and now as a fan, I’d swap a top-four finish for actually winning a cup,” he said. “Any trophy would mean so much to Villa fans. After so long, you’re just desperate to see the team lift something real. I think a lot of Villa supporters feel the same way: give us a trophy before anything else.”

Unai Emery has done wonders since he took over from Steven Gerrard in 2022. People haven’t stopped praising the job he’s done. Barry isn’t blind to the fact Emery could move on, but he doesn’t see many clubs offering Emery the same level of control he enjoys at Villa.

“As a Villa fan, I do worry a bit, because he’s been the key to everything Villa have achieved lately,” Barry said. “The job he’s done is just incredible, and it sounds like he really values having control over club decisions. At Villa, he gets that freedom, which is a big plus. Sure, other clubs might tempt him, but will they actually give him that same control? I’m not convinced. Every Villa fan knows what a great manager Emery is, and he’s put the club in such a strong place.”

As for whether Champions League qualification is a personal factor for Emery, Barry isn’t sure. “I don’t know if Champions League football is a big deal for him, but even if it is, I’m pretty confident Villa will get there, especially now that fifth place is enough.”

Tottenham’s problems this season go way beyond injuries and chaos behind the scenes. Their expensive strikers just haven’t brought the kind of goal threat people expected, and it’s been obvious for months.

And now, just after finally snapping a brutal 15-game winless streak in the Premier League, they've lost key players again. Dominic Solanke, their main centre forward, is injured. So is Xavi Simons, their creative spark. Not exactly ideal timing.

Roberto De Zerbi isn’t having any of this “woe is me” stuff; he’s pretty clear on that. He wants everyone focused on the guys who have to step up at Aston Villa, not on bad luck or sympathy. Still, there’s no hiding the fact: he’s got to figure something out fast.

Richarlison is the top scorer for Spurs with nine goals in the league, which sounds okay, but this isn’t the same guy who dragged Everton out of trouble two years ago, banging in clutch goals and celebrating by launching a flare into the crowd as if he owned the place. Fans in Everton still talk about that moment. They hoped he'd similarly lead Spurs, but this season hasn’t gone his way. He started strong with a couple of goals against Burnley, then got sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury and hasn’t really found his rhythm since.

De Zerbi, for what it’s worth, likes Richarlison on a personal level. He thinks he wears his heart on his sleeve: "a great guy because he is sensitive," he said. "You can see what he’s thinking just from his face.” But that’s not getting goals right now.

When De Zerbi took over, he started Richarlison wide on the left in his first game against Sunderland, but hooked him off after an hour. He stayed benched for the next match against Brighton. At Wolves, Richarlison came on for the injured Solanke right before halftime and sort of stumbled into an assist; his shot was mis-hit, but Joao Palhinha managed to turn it in late.

That goal was big. Finally, three points. But De Zerbi still wasn’t happy about how the team played after halftime. He said they lost control, lost their defensive shape, and started handing Wolves too many chances. They won, but honestly, they could’ve let the game slip away.

That’s why De Zerbi kept Solanke as his main striker, even though the guy only managed three league goals this season and spent half of it injured. Solanke’s good with his back to goal, helps link play, and drags the team forward. Now, with him out, De Zerbi has to mix it up.

He’s said they need to get Richarlison into the right spots, basically make the most of his strengths. Mathys Tel and Randal Kolo Muani have played up front, too, but the numbers aren’t great. Tel scored three goals in 27 league games, which is actually better than Kolo Muani’s one goal in 26.

De Zerbi thinks Tel is a big talent; he tried signing him at Marseille. But he admits he hasn’t used Tel in his preferred position, more often sticking him out right. At least Tel contributed at Wolves, winning the corner that led to a goal. Maybe now’s the moment he’ll get more responsibility, especially with injuries piling up.

De Zerbi’s been working on Kolo Muani’s confidence, showing him videos of old goals and chatting over training meals. It’s not magic, but maybe Kolo Muani finds something with a run of games. As for Tel, De Zerbi hopes giving him extra responsibility might help; at least now he knows he’s playing, so he can really prepare and not worry so much.

Tel bagged his first Spurs goal at Villa Park last year in the FA Cup. He hasn’t scored since January, but De Zerbi thinks this could be the right moment for him. He wants players to notice when it’s time to step up and really grow, like Simons was starting to do before his injury.

With Simons out with a messed-up knee, everyone else gets a shot. Someone has to grab it. Will they? We’ll see.