Aston Villa had a good trip to the Netherlands a couple of weeks ago, managing to get a 4-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar.
That sees them second in Group E of the UEFA Europa Conference League, and they have a good chance of making it through to the next round.
On Thursday evening, they welcome AZ Alkmaar to Birmingham, and there’s one man who will almost certainly be welcomed more than most.
Ron Vlaar is making his way into the coaching world with the Eredivisie club, and he’s been the man to look for since the two sides were picked in the same group.
Speaking a lot ahead of the first match between the pair, Vlaar is doing likewise ahead of the return. As part of the build-up from Dutch newspaper AD, they had a chat with Vlaar about his Aston Villa memories.
When he was at the club, things were obviously different, with there not being as much ambition as there is now.
AD quote him as saying: “We fought against relegation. The club had to be sold and little was invested. Every game in the Premier League was a battle. I’ve also had a lot of injuries. We did reach the FA Cup final, which we lost. There was always something happening.”
Vlaar made sure to send some praise to his former club: “I was impressed by Villa. Especially the acceleration at exactly the right moments.
“Villa Park itself is also special. Not the largest stadium in England, but truly typically English. On a street with a sidewalk. It really is a big club. I was already hoping for this draw this summer, by the way. But then you also think: what are the chances? And then it happened like this!”
