Updated Opta Power Rankings release further illustrates Aston Villa progress | OneFootball

It's always going to be something of an imperfect science when comparing Aston Villa with Juventus, for example. Unless they meet in one of the European competitions, there isn't a direct way to judge how a Premier League team would fare against a Serie A side. This is where the Opta Power Rankings attempts to fill in the gap.

Using their system, the website aims to compile the data and evaluate all of the moves in the sport and determine which club is the best. This isn't meant to be an open-and-shut case, but it is somewhat telling that a self-professed neutral algorithm-based system currently has Villa as the 10th-best club in the world.

The freshly crowned Premier League champions sit at the top. And clubs like Arsenal, PSG, and Real Madrid are in the top 10. Newcastle United find themselves just above AVFC in the ninth position in the site's rankings.

What's nice to see is that Villa are just above Chelsea here, and Crystal Palace is at 16th despite the head-to-head loss during the FA Cup semi-final match. As must be the case in the rankings here, league play is weighed more heavily than other competitions. The Prem, furthermore, is held in higher regard than the other leagues.

On the whole, that should be the case, whether going by the Opta rankings or evaluating for oneself. Certainly, clubs like PSG can't be excluded or ignored. After all, the Ligue 1 champions have looked thoroughly impressive against Villa, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Even so, the best league in the world is still on British soil.

Validation for continued Aston Villa efforts

The grind and test of the EPL present a months-long challenge unlike any of the other competitions. With everything being considered, even through the disappointment, it has been a largely successful year for Villa.