Aston Villa have been on a rollercoaster ride in the WSL over the last few seasons.

But they will be hoping this campaign is one that takes them to the highest of all highs.

Captain Rachel Corsie andLucy Parker will be iimportant for the VillansGetty

After stunning the field and finishing in an impressive fifth spot in the 2022/23 season, they then had an extremely tough start to last season which saw them winless in their first five games.

While they recovered significantly, they could not match the momentum or the outstanding results of the previous year and finished in seventh place in the table. 

But this season sees a number of big changes, including a new manager, some new signings and a new home location. 

In a fantastic move, Villa Women will now play every single home WSL fixture at Villa Park, having played five of them there last season.

It is a change which represents a distinct investment in the side – and they will be hoping that their results this season benefit from the move too. 

As new signing Katie Robinson told talkSPORT, it was exactly that progressive mindset that attracted her to join the club. 

“The quality of the players in the team excited me,” said the Lioness. “As well as good conversations with the manager Robert regarding the style of play and visions for the future of the club.”

She described the team as ‘hard-working, competitive and ambitious’.

And it is not just Unai Emery’s side who are looking for a place near the top of the league this campaign.

Robinson said: “(Our aims are) to push towards the top four, go for silverware and make Villa Park a tough place for all teams to come too!”

GettyNew Aston Villa boss Robert De Pauw has a big job on his hands[/caption]

Manager: Robert de Pauw

Aston Villa will now have to adjust to life after Carla Ward who, despite some bumps in the road, showed herself to be an extremely skillful manager. 

After Ward stepped down from her post as manager at the end of last campaign, it is Dutchman Robert de Pauw who takes the reins. 

He joins having spent two years in charge at Bayer Leverkusen, where he led the team to two top-six league finishes. 

A top-six finish for Villa in the WSL too will be the starting aim, but it looks like the 42-year-old is aiming higher than that. 

“I’d like to win something, like every coach,” he told the Aston Villa official website when he joined. 

Ward left Villa after a tough seasonGetty

“We’ll be doing fine if we end up in the top six, but we have to be ambitious, we have to dream. In the future if we can build towards European football that would be a dream for everyone in the organisation.

“We have to start by building a playing style, creating good habits, building a winning culture and then success, in my experience, will follow.”

Star player: Rachel Daly

Speaking of success, where better to look than to Euro 2022 winner and super striker Rachel Daly?

Particularly after the forward announced her shock retirement from international football, it is a treat for fans of the game to still be able to see the 32-year-old tearing up the pitch for her club. 

Daly will be hoping to score plenty more goals this seasonGetty

She scored 22 goals in 22 WSL games in her first season at the club – and her total of eight last season was rather out of character for her. 

But the former Lioness is easily the side’s most dangerous threat in front of goal, having also scored 16 international goals. 

Oh and talk about versatility, she is also an exceptional left-back – it is a package which makes her a very valuable player indeed. 

One to watch: Missy Bo Kearns

Perhaps one of the most shocking – and least talked-about – signings of the summer, Missy Bo Kearns’ move to Villa could be vital this season. 

The signing of Kearns is a coup for VillaGetty

The Liverpool academy graduate and lifelong Reds fan left her beloved club of 15 years and signed for Villa in a completely unexpected transfer.

But it is a move that is no doubt to the great benefit of the Villans. 

Kearns is also the Lionesses’ youth captain and is on the cusp of breaking her way into the senior England squad. 

She scored 12 goals in her 103 appearances for Liverpool and is the beating heart of the midfield for both club and country.

Villa have distinct quality up front – and Kearns could well prove to be exactly what they were missing in the centre of the field.