Ahead of their clash with Liverpool tomorrow, we assess how the Midlands club has started the Premier League campaign so brightly and whether it’s a temporary detour or a more long-term development.
1. Defensive alterations
Three league games played and just one goal conceded – that from a set-piece. And at the heart of it all – experience.
Last term, Villa’s defence usually featured names like Baker, Lowton and Clark and, coincidentally or not, mistakes were prevalent. For the first game of the season against Stoke however, Alan Hutton was at right-back, after spending two years in the wilderness. On the other flank was Aly Cissokho, with something of a point to prove after a short-lived spell at Anfield. And between them both were Ron Vlaar (fresh from an heroic World Cup) and the much-maligned Philippe Senderos – clearly intent on revitalising his career.
Errors were few and far between. Instead, Villa defended resolutely. The central defensive partnership in particular allowed little past them, managing to rack up 17 clearances between them.
Sure, it may not have been the most aesthetically-pleasing but Paul Lambert would’ve been desperate to build some confidence. Last season, Villa commonly slipped into slumps. From their first four games, they lost three on the bounce. Later in the season, they went four games without a win. Later again, they didn’t win for five games. And as the campaign edged towards the genuine possibility of relegation, they lost seven of their last ten fixtures – four of them in a row. So, by being compact, determined and communicating well early on here, Villa have stirred some belief. It’s provided a solid foundation.
2. Transfer-window strategy
Firstly, Villa’s ‘long-term project’ finished a long time ago. And it seems Lambert has finally come to terms with what the priority is: ensuring the club stays in the top-flight. It’s been a miserable drop-off but there is a cause for optimism, especially when taking a closer look at their recruitment work in the off-season.
It was imperative that both Fabien Delph and Vlaar were retained while defensive reinforcements were required. What’s interesting though is that by bringing both Alan Hutton and Charles N’Zogbia back in from the cold as well as securing the services of Senderos from Valencia, Cissokho from Liverpool and Tom Cleverley from Manchester United, Lambert has identified personalities with similar characteristics. All are, in many ways, ‘damaged goods’.
They’ve experienced relentless criticisms, were ostracised, isolated and had their confidence knocked. But, all have incredibly high-profile pedigree. Hutton’s years at Rangers got him a dream move to Tottenham. Cissokho did enough to persuade Brendan Rodgers to bring him to Liverpool. Senderos spent years at an elite Premier League side. N’Zogbia’s form at Wigan secured a high-profile switch to Villa Park three years ago. Cleverley, however hurtful the criticism has been in recent years, is a league winner, given his opportunity at Old Trafford by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Perhaps Lambert feels he’s the right man to get inside the minds of players whose confidence needs re-building. Perhaps he feels the players he’s brought to the club are the perfect metaphor for Aston Villa. So far, it’s worked. But it’s a long road.
The fixture list
Many have countered any positive perspective on Villa this season by immediately pointing to their relatively ‘easy’ fixtures so far (Stoke, Newcastle, Hull). But, it’s worth remembering that last term, Stoke took six points from Villa, racking up six goals in the process. Newcastle took six points from Villa too. So, reverting to an old cliche, Villa don’t really get to experience any easy games anymore owing to their substantial struggles in recent years.
But they now face into a potentially torrid month. Today’s trip to Liverpool is followed by a clash with Arsenal next weekend. After that, there’s the straightforward proposition of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to contend with while in early October, they face the reigning champions. Comparatively, the difficult spell tails off somewhat when they make the journey to Goodison Park after the international break.
What the fixture list has done is given them points on the board. As previously mentioned, Villa lost three of their first four games last season. And they also head into the more difficult assignments now with the shackles off to a certain extent. Many will give them little chance of causing any upsets but there was a similar feeling prior to their clash with Chelsea at the end of last season (when they claimed a 1-0 victory) or before their game with Liverpool on Merseyside in January (when they drew 1-1).
