Despite an underwhelming start, here are three reasons why Aston Villa fans should be feeling positive.
Playing one of your biggest rivals in your first game in charge was always going to be a difficult start for Steve Bruce, but Aston Villa fans were left disappointed after their side put in a stuttering display against Wolves this weekend. However, from both their last game, and their first few days under Bruce, we have put together three things that Villa fans should be feeling positive about.
Right man in charge: The footballing world seemed united in agreement that Villa had picked the right man in Steve Bruce, and despite only being at the club for a couple of days, it looks like the footballing world were right.
Despite a poor display against Wolves, which was probably down to Villa’s change in system, Bruce’s style of play looks to already be impacting on his new players and, as time goes by, you would expect Villa to improve more and more.
Change of shape: After playing what seemed like a different system every week under Roberto Di Matteo, Steve Bruce has opted to change Villa’s formation to a 4-4-2.
A popular formation for teams that have been successful in the Championship over the last couple of years (Leicester City and Burnley for example), the switch in style is a positive step in the right direction for a Villa side that often look lost.
The most unpredictable league in the world: Unlike the Premier League, league places in the Championship fluctuate constantly. Teams in the bottom half in November can find themselves pushing for automatic promotion by the end of the season (see Norwich’s promotion push under Alex Neil), and top teams at the start can very quickly find themselves falling away.
Things were not working under Di Matteo, but Villa have been smart enough to make the change early, and with plenty of the season ahead of them, Steve Bruce has got plenty of time to get it right at Villa Park.
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