15 Seasons, 15 Villans: Aston Villa’s No-Repeat XI
Villa Park has held the club through a painful fall and a long climb back. In 2011/12, teammates voted captain Stiliyan Petrov Player of the Year while he was sidelined by acute leukaemia; the standing ovation at Villa Park made their support visible. A few seasons later, Benteke scored 13 league goals, Ayew top-scored in the relegation campaign and Kodjia hit 19 in the Championship. At the far end of this window, BBC fan writer Hannah Gowen picked Cash as 2025/26 player of the season after his 45 appearances and Villa’s European trophy win. This is my subjective 4–3–3: the club’s award history guides the picks, with role-based calls to keep all 15 seasons and players distinct.
Starting XI — 4–3–3
- GK: Brad Guzan — 2012/13
- RB: Matty Cash — 2025/26
- CB: James Chester — 2017/18
- CB: Ezri Konsa — 2021/22
- LB: Matt Targett — 2020/21
- CM: Fabian Delph — 2013/14
- CM: Douglas Luiz — 2022/23
- CM: John McGinn — 2018/19
- RW: Jack Grealish — 2019/20
- ST: Ollie Watkins — 2023/24
- LW: Jordan Ayew — 2015/16
Four substitutes
- Stiliyan Petrov — 2011/12
- Christian Benteke — 2014/15
- Jonathan Kodjia — 2016/17
- Youri Tielemans — 2024/25
For the season-output checks: Premier League season stats, Kodjia’s Championship scoring record, Konsa’s appearances, and BBC’s 2025/26 Villa season review.