Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood will be hoping that his side can pick-up maximum points against Midlands rivals Leicester on Sunday
It is difficult to know what to make of Aston Villa this season. Tim Sherwood led a complete overhaul of his Villans squad this summer, which saw a host of new players arrive at Villa Park.
Sherwood’s new-look squad face Midlands rivals Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Sunday looking for their second victory of the campaign.
Progression
It seems the general consensus among Villa fans is that their team have made good progression under the tutelage of boss Sherwood. The Villans made it to the FA Cup final last season, as the team started to show more attacking flair, despite being involved in a relegation scrap.
Under previous boss Paul Lambert the Villans were dire to watch at times. Their attacking play was slow and they struggled to score goals. Sherwood made a few tactical changes that saw Villa get more players into the opposition penalty area.
Mixed
It’s fair to say that Villa’s start to the season has been a mixed bag so far. One win, two defeats and a draw so far this season is their record in the Premier League. The opening day victory at newly-promoted Bournemouth gave the Villans a good start to the campaign.
Sherwood’s side have not won a league game since that opening day win and last time out drew 2-2 at Villa Park against Sunderland. Everybody connected with the club may have been slightly disappointed with the draw, but at least Villa showed an attacking threat against the Black Cats.
Time
The amount of new arrivals this summer at Villa Park meant it was always going to take time for the Villa team to gel and become a team. Following last season’s poor campaign, there needed to be big changes at Villa.
Sherwood would not have wanted to lose captain Fabian Delph and top scorer Christian Benteke in the summer though. They were Villa’s best players in the last few seasons and will be big losses this season.
The new signings are probably still wearing name tags, as they are probably that unfamiliar with each other. Villa may not see the best of their team for another few months, when their new players, a lot of them new to these shores have settled into their new surroundings.
Difficult
Sunday’s trip to Midlands rivals Leicester will not be an easy one, as the Foxes currently sit fourth in the Premier League table after a promising start to their campaign.
The Foxes are unbeaten in eight Premier League games stretching back to the end of last season. Under Claudio Ranieri they have continued were they left off last season under Nigel Pearson and are looking confident.
However, Villa may just be meeting their Midlands rivals at a good time, because the Foxes have drawn their last two league games, so it could just give the Villans the chance to capitalise on any complacency from the Foxes.
Betting Odds
Leicester are the favourites to claim a win in this game at odds of 10/11, the draw is odds of 13/5 and Villa are odds of 7/2.
Those odds reflect the fact the Foxes have made such a good start to the campaign, when in previous seasons there may be little between these two teams in terms of quality, or odds.
Surprise
A Villa win would probably be a surprise at this point of season, with both teams respective form. Villa have shown signs of promise this season though and the Villans will be hoping that that promise is on display at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Confident
Love him or hate him, Tim Sherwood has an air of confidence about him and tends to speak his mind. He seems to be a very positive guy and Villa fans will be looking for their team to enjoy a better campaign than last season, when they finished just above the relegation zone.
A win at their Midlands rivals Leicester would be a great way to kick-start their Premier League campaign, which so far has been a very mixed one.
Can Villa record a win at rivals Leicester on Sunday?
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