Aston Villa can remain cautiously positive a month into the new season after a complete summer overhaul of the squad, masterminded by manager Tim Sherwood.
First four games
The Villans have fared well in their opening four Premier League fixtures even if they will feel a little hard done by, given their modest points return.
It all started swimmingly on the South coast as new target man Rudy Gestede came off the bench to power the side to a 1-0 win at Bournemouth. A much-improved second-half performance gave cause for optimism, as Sherwood’s new signings hit the ground running with a victory against the Cherries.
Back-to-back defeats followed against Manchester United and Crystal Palace, however, which injected a dose of reality into the Midlands sides’ start to the season. In truth, however, they caused United plenty of problems and were hampered largely by disappointing tactics at Villa Park after competing for an hour with their two main forwards – Gestede and Libor Kozak – on the bench. The Palace defeat was a bitter pill to swallow after being the better side for 45 minutes before conceding right at the death, thanks to an individual error from the otherwise impressive Jordan Amavi.
Villa showed composure and spirit to come from behind against Sunderland in their latest fixture and looked to be on course for a second victory until new Black Cats signing Jeremain Lens equalised to make it 2-2. After dominating goalmouth action and possession, they will definitely feel that is two points dropped, but plenty of positives remain.
Transfer window performance
Sherwood should be pleased with his business in the transfer window after the initial body blow of losing Christian Benteke and captain Fabian Delph early in the summer. That left them in a difficult position, but far from acting like the rookie manager he is, Sherwood has shown a level of maturity and astuteness which many of his detractors may have thought was beyond him.
In record quick time 13 new signings have entered the club and Sherwood’s mammoth challenge now is to get this team for the future picking up wins fairly soon, before the supporters begin to get restless. It is too early to judge many of the arrivals but securing the services of Barcelona teenage wonderkid Adama Traore was certainly a coup and Amavi looks like he will develop into a fine fullback. With Idrissa Gana Gueye also showing signs of promise, Villa may have already replaced the now unpopular Fabian Delph.
Despite a few hairy moments for the backline in the opening weeks of the season, they have undoubtedly strengthened in this area with new claret and blue skipper Micah Richards reunited with his former Manchester City teammate Joleon Lescott, following his switch on deadline day. But while Villa have built on their creativity with the signings of Traore and Jordan Veretout, the big question mark remains over whether they have enough firepower to cope with the loss of their star Belgian striker Christian Benteke. Former Blackburn man Gestede and Jordan Ayew will need time to adapt to the fast-paced Premier League and at the moment Scott Sinclair is shouldering the responsibility.
Key Player
With Villa failing to add another striker on transfer deadline day, Sherwood may be tempted to use the pace of Sinclair through the middle rather than in his usual wide position. Sinclair has already netted two hat-tricks, against Nottingham Forest in preseason and then Notts County in the Capital One Cup. With five goals in his past two games the Villa boss will certainly want to give Sinclair a run in the side, to see if he can build on this early momentum.
It is a big season for Sinclair, who has become something of an outcast since he first burst onto the Premier League scene at Swansea. The 26-year-old is settled in the Midlands now and as he reaches a critical point in his career, he will be hoping to rediscover that raw talent he possesses on a consistent basis and become a focal point for this new-look Villa side. He may end up being the one to combine with front man Gestede and with the pace and trickery of Traore, Jack Grealish and Carles Gil in midfield, Sinclair could well be the man they rely on for clinical finishing in and around the box.
What has gone right?
Though the points are not on the board, Sherwood’s side is already showing signs of gelling despite the team being totally unrecognisable to that which lined up against Arsenal in the FA Cup Final in May. Once the Villa boss decides on his strongest line-up, performance levels will almost certainly increase further.
Last season Villa’s Achilles heel was not only scoring goals, but creating chances too. They will be quietly reassured that despite only finding the net four times in the first four games, plenty of chances have been created along the way.
What needs to improve?
Plain and simple – their form at Villa Park. They registered a paltry five Premier League wins on home soil last season – only Sunderland and the relegated Burnley fared worse. Even more worryingly, they have won just 17 of 71 home league games since December 2011, meaning the suffering of the support dates back a number of years. They have averaged less than one point a game in that period and Sherwood’s men will have to address this slide quickly if they are to build on 2014-15’s precarious 17th placed finish.
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Next four games
The month of September has thrown up an exciting prospect for the Villans with three Midlands derbies in quick-succession. After beating West Bromwich Albion twice in a week last season to resurrect their survival chances, Sherwood will be acutely aware of how crucial the next four weeks could be in the context of the season.
They kick-off the triple header with a tough trip to in-form Leicester City, before hosting Albion at Villa Park the following week. The eagerly anticipated second-city derby clash with Birmingham City will be staged three days later – the first time the rivals have met since they last faced each other in the league cup four years ago. Benteke’s Liverpool is the fourth fixture, which will provide Sherwood with another gruelling test regardless of how they fare in the local derbies.
Grade – B
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