Aston Villa's Best Possible Istanbul Preparation as Watkins Fires Up and Champions League is Confirmed
About this episode
Aston Villa's victory over Liverpool secures Champions League qualification and sets the stage for their upcoming match in Istanbul.
Aston Villa beat Liverpool 4-2 at Villa Park on Friday evening, sealing Champions League qualification through the league and sending supporters into the Istanbul week in exactly the right frame of mind. The game that looked like a distraction turned into the best possible preparation. This week's My Old Man Said Post-Mortem opens with the moment that changed everything: the teamsheet. When Emery named the side that beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the European semi-final — essentially the expected starting lineup for Wednesday — the game instantly became something else. Not a Premier League fixture to be survived before the main event. The version of Ollie Watkins that turned up against Liverpool needs to be sent First Class to Istanbul. The aggressive one who fires up the crowd from corners, gives teammates a dressing-down when they get something wrong, and is sharp in front of goal. The version Villa supporters have been asking for all season. He produced a brace and an offside goal that said as much as the goals that counted. The main difference between the two teams was seen in the attitude of Alexis Mac Allister compared to John McGinn - one was cheaply rolling around feigning…
More episodes of My Old Man Said — An Aston Villa Podcast
- From Istanbul to the Transfer Catalyst — Aston Villa's 2025-26 End of Season Debrief
- Europa League Winners: Villa Conquer Europe Again in Istanbul
- The Freiburg Files - Are Villa the Bad Guys?
- Aston Villa Ahead of Istanbul - The Aging Squad, the Liverpool Game, and What Happens Next
- From Forest High to Burnley Frustration: Villa’s Wild Inconsistency Problem
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