Gestede gamble
At half time, Sherwood decided to introduce Rudy Gestede into proceedings in place of Scott Sinclair.
The tall, powerful centre-forward added more strength and heading ability to the frontline of Villa’s attack, but the change did little to change the pattern of the game.
The hosts only managed three shots on target in the second half, all of which were comfortable saves for West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill. Gestede and Agbonlahor looked isolated up front and were easily marshalled by Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley.
Gestede has not scored for Villa since his debut on the opening day of the season against Bournemouth and he is showing signs of struggling to adapt to Villa’s style of play.
Since joining the side from Blackburn Rovers, he has only started two games, coming off the bench in another four.
This suggests Sherwood does not feel the striker fits the system correctly, or feels he is best as an impact player. But for £6 million, the Villa fans will want to see more from their new striker than just substitute appearances.
In any case it is a worrying time for a Villa side that struggled to threaten the West Brom goal on Saturday.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
