In the wake of former manager Tim Sherwood’s dismissal, Aston Villa’s performance last Monday night in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur showed some promise.
Specifically, the period of pressure the Villans put the home side under in the second-half, which resulted in a deflected goal for Jordan Ayew.
With new man in charge Rémi Garde watching from the stands, fans will hope the improved display was not just a one-off. The game in general was a display that showed weaknesses and the (little) strengths that the claret and blue army possess.
One thing Garde will notice immediately is that Villa’s defence needs work. Nevermind conceding three goals, it is the fashion in how they did it. The first, where Moussa Dembelé was let through was incredibly poor focus from a rusty Ciaran Clark. The second followed a great effort from Delle Ali, but attempts to close the young English midfielder down were futile. After what was arguably the biggest mistake of the match, Harry Kane was left with the space to pull off a brilliant finish. Villa’s defenders should have been watching him like a hawk.
The manager will have noticed the lack of defensive ability possessed by Kieran Richards and should reinstate Jordan Amavi on the weekend.He will also have seen the phenomenon that is Carlos Sanchez turning from a brick wall to a sieve in seconds, if Garde can fix this he could become a very important player for Villa’s defence.
Attacking-wise Villa showed that the wheels are moving at White Hart Lane, as Scott Sinclair and Ayew caused some problems for the Tottenham defence, the latter of course getting Villa’s only goal. Carles Gil proved why he is arguably one of Villa’s best players and should be a part of every match.
Grealish’s performance could be a worrying thing for both Villa and the youngster himself thoug. It is no secret that Tim Sherwood’s departure upset the local lad, but he needs to suck it up, get his head down and put in the sort of performances that warranted him a place in Villa’s starting XI for the 2014-15 FA Cup Final.
The defeat at the hands of Mario Pochettino’s men also showed how much the team lacks going forward, Rudy Gestede displayed his many limitations, Grealish failed to impress and Gabby Agbonlahor was useless.
While Garde saw a lot about the Villa squad in the defeat to Tottenhdm, there were a few players that arguably deserve a chance to impress the new man at the helm in a competitive match.
Acting manager Kevin MacDonald’s starting lineup lacked a few players Villa fans are desperate to see more of, including Amavi, Jordan Veretout and Gana. All have looked promising this season and the claret and blue faithful with hope they can thrive under the Frenchman.
Libor Kozak and Adama Traore are two players who have also been missing from matchday squad selections. Reports suggest Kozak failed to impress in a recent under-21s game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the Czech Republic international has been an enigma this season. If Garde does not see anything in him, then it will be hard to disagree with Tim Sherwood and MacDonald’s decision to leave him out of the squad.
Whether Traore’s absence has been down to injury and match fitness or something else is unknown, but from what onlookers have seen so far, he can be judged as a player that can cause defences headaches.
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The new manager may even see the return of an in-form Brad Guzan, now the man who benched him for Shay Given has gone. A fresh start for the American could invigorate the 31-year-old.
Villa fans need to be patient with the 49-year-old Garde, he has had less than a week to decide his lineup for the Manchester City clash on Sunday – which will not be enough to fully assess his new squad.
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