If the opening of the season at West Ham was underwhelming, the home opener against Everton was a kick to the groin. For the first hour, that was as bad as I can remember any Aston Villa team playing.
There was an excellent post on Four-Four-Two on some of the challenges Paul Lambert is facing in reshaping the team. The majority of the players are still holdovers and academy graduates. It will take time for these players to adapt, or be shipped out and replaced.
With deadline day looming, new faces are coming in. Joe Bennett fills a huge hole at left back. As well as Nathan Baker has played, he’s not good enough going forward to play left back every match. For a team that depends on its fullbacks for width he’s not the answer. With Ciaran Clark’s abject performance against Everton, the door may be open for Baker to pair with Ron Vlaar.
By the time you read this, hopefully Villa will have also added a striker or two. Christian Benteke looks like the type of big, physical forward the club have lacked since John Carew was sent packing. For a manager like Lambert who likes to rotate his team and select players based on the opposition, having a diverse group of strikers who can score in different ways will give him more choices and the team more ways to create chances.
On the pitch we did have something to be positive about in defeating Tranmere to advance in the Capital One Cup. It didn’t sound like the most thrilling match in the world, but Villa took care of business. Hopefully Steven Ireland can build on his performance—he’s the club’s best chance to create and turn possession into chances.
For the next round the draw couldn’t have been more unkind in sending the Villa to Eastlands. To win the competition, the club would likely have to go through one of the top sides as it is. Might as well do it now when City will be more focused on the league and their brutal Champions League group. Losing to a weakened Manchester City side featuring both Gareth Barry and James Milner 4-0 would still be a bitter pill to swallow.
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