Just two weeks after introducing a new formation, Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is reportedly set to revert to type.
Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce could scrap his new look 3-5-2 formation less than two weeks after introducing it, the Birmingham Mail reports, as he aims to rediscover the winning formula.
Saturday’s home defeat to Ipswich Town means Villa have now lost five of their last six Championship fixtures, their last victory coming against Burton Albion on Boxing Day.
And Bruce’s implementation of a new 3-5-2 system, one he claimed he and the team had worked on extensively, has done little to change the downwards momentum with the Birmingham Mail reporting that he could now revert back to his tried and trusted back four ahead of Tuesday’s league clash with Barnsley.
This could well represent another cause of concern for supporters already expressing some degree of distress at Bruce’s tactics. After all, scrapping plans after just two weeks is usually construed as a sign of panic and a lack of long-term thinking.
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On the flipside, however, the alteration could at least give Icelandic midfielder Birkir Bjarnason a chance to start his short-lived Villa career again after struggling at wing-back on his English football debut in the 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest earlier in the month.
The 28-year-old lacks the pace or the crossing ability to provide a threat on the overlap with his quick feet and clever combination play far better suited in a more central role – attributes he could finally demonstrate against Barnsley in midweek.
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Villa’s vast squad overhaul means Bruce must find a suitable system in which to shoehorn his most gifted players. Though time and patience are not exactly on his side at the moment.
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