Does Tim Sherwood know how to pick his subs?
It seems like he does not have a clue – and the crushing 3-2 defeat to Leicester City did not help.
Let’s start with the substitution he did get right: bringing right-back Alan Hutton on for obviously-not-a-right-back Leandro Bacuna, although the timing was, unfortunately for Villa, way off. He should have been the first on the pitch.
While it was the right substitution to make, the 24-year-old should not have been on the pitch in the first place.
Villa’s number seven, Bacuna, is not a right-back, although FIFA 15 players might argue otherwise.
While he may offer a certain something going forward, it does not excuse his often woeful attempts at defending.
It is hard to justify his place in the team solely because of his attacking ability, as Hutton is more than proficient running up the right-flank and seems comfortable making overlapping runs. Most of all, he can defend too, which is what Villa desperately needed when Leicester got a goal back at the King Power Stadium.
The first substitution Sherwood got half-right. Taking Carles Gil off was the right thing to do. He was tiring and he was not able to contribute fully when tracking back.
But what was puzzling was bringing on Jordan Ayew, an attacking player who, thus far, has been useless for the Villans. If Villa were going for the kill, Sherwood’s logic is understandable but the Ghanaian gives the ball away too much and it was a big risk.
He should have bolstered the midfield or even brought on defender Ciarn Clark.
At this point in the game, 2-0 up away to an in-form side, park the bus, and hit them on the break. With Gabby Agbonlahor and Scott Sinclair up front they could cause some tired defenders problems.
Bringing on Rudy Gestede would have been a decent substitution if Sherwood had not already brought another striker on and if Villa had not just conceded the equaliser. Villa needed players that could do some damage on the break and Gestede does not seem like that sort of player.
The final substitution of course was Hutton for Bacuna and by the time the Scottish international was on it was too late and Villa were hanging on to a point.
A three-man central partnership may have provided that solidity at the back after Leicester pulled one back.
Sherwood needs to sort it out quickly. He cannot afford to be making poor tactical decisions against local rivals West Bromwich Albion. Villa need to pick up three points against their Black Country neighbours on Saturday.
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Not only because the three points are desperately needed, but because the players need to be raring to go against bitter rivals Birmingham City on the following Tuesday.
The Blues celebrate their 140th anniversary this season, with a special badge to mark the occasion, and they would love to get one over Villa.
Right now, there are a lot of Villa fans that might be sceptical of Sherwood’s ability to turn the game around if things are not going to plan and there are two games coming up where a Plan B should not be required.
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