Aston Villa will be hoping to end their bad run of form in the Championship when they travel to Stoke City on Saturday.
Aston Villa should make four changes to their starting XI when they travel to Stoke City on Saturday following their 2-0 defeat at home to West Brom last time out.
It is time Dean Smith started to think about the future and a possible change in formation in order to accommodate a number of his younger players as Villa’s struggles continue.
Midfielder John McGinn, who started the Albion defeat, is suspended and will miss out, while Conor Hourihane is desperately out of form.
The other two players that should miss out are Ahmed Elmohamady, who started on the right wing and goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, who was forced off with a concussion at half-time.
As a result, Smith should select teenager Jacob Ramsey to start in the middle of the park after he came off the bench to make his debut against the Baggies.
Added with that, forgotten man Keinan Davis should start up front, while Smith should select an attack-minded player on the right in Anwar El Ghazi. Jed Steer is Villa’s back-up choice if Kalinic can’t make the Stoke clash.
If Smith were to go for this team then he would effectively be selecting three academy products, which would help ease the recent bad atmosphere in the stands.
While a 4-4-2 formation may not sit well with some fans, Smith can easily accommodate it and bulk up the midfield a little bit more.
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