India, Dec. 30 -- When Aston Villa was on a five-match winless run to start the Premier League season, the team looked more like a potential relegation candidate than a title contender. Manager Unai Emery was describing his players as "lazy." Villa's big names - including England internationals Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers - were showing no form at all.

There were major concerns about the club's lack of activity in the summer's transfer window. How, then, to explain the position Villa finds itself in heading into its final game of 2026? On the back of 11 straight victories in all competitions, Villa is on its best winning streak in more than a century and is being viewed as a legitimate challenger for the Premier League title.

Indeed...