Remi Garde
It would be cruel to blame Tim Sherwood entirely for Villa’s downfall. The Englishman was crucial in the Villans’ survival last term and even managed to take them to Wembley in the FA Cup. Villa have lost some crucial players since then, with the likes of Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph departing in the summer transfer window. Besides them, they also lost Andreas Weimann, Ron Vlaar and Shay Given. Villa have managed to recruit a number of players but none have been able to adequately fill the gaps left by the departed stars. Sherwood could not have done much better with what he had to work with but the fans will certainly be hopeful of new manager Remi Garde fairing significantly better.
The Frenchman was part of the coaching staff that won back-to-back league titles with Lyon between 2003 and 2005. He later went on to take on the manager’s role at the start of the 2011 season, during which he lifted two trophies – the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions (both in 2012). He finished fifth in the league in his second season and left the club soon after, due to personal matters. The Villa job will come as a chance for redemption for both the club and Garde. He will be keen to manage in one of the world’s most challenging leagues and there is no denying that he has the ability to prevent Villa from relegation at the least. It does not help that his first official game in charge comes against the league leaders but the former Arsenal player does have all the makings of a strong and intelligent manager.
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