OPINION
Aston Villa know that they need to make the perfect start to 2019 if they are going to have any chance of securing a play off spot at the end of the season and so manager Dean Smith has something of a selection headache on his hands.
Having drawn with Preston North End in their final clash of 2018, a game which the Villans could quite have easily lost, it is Queens Park Rangers who visit Villa Park on New Year’s Day, the side sitting one point and one place ahead of Smith and his men.
So how can Villa guarantee that they give themselves the best chance of three points? Going all out in attack and starting the new year with a bang.
To do so, Smith needs to spring a surprise not only in terms of his tactics but in his personnel, changing to a 4-4-2 formation and axing five of those who started against Preston – only one of those enforced.
The one switch which Smith has no choice over is in between the sticks, Orjan Nyland having suffered a serious injury blow and so Mark Bunn, with one Championship appearance this season, is the only option to step into the void.
At the back Tommy Elphick has been recalled from his loan at Hull City and it makes no sense for him to be missing out from the starting XI, joining Bunn in making his second appearance for Villa this campaign.
In midfield fresh legs are a must and so Birkir Bjarnason ought to come in for Glenn Whelan, while Conor Hourihane also warrants being axed in favour of another attacker up front – Scott Hogan.
Having two strikers gives Villa options in how they choose to attack and with Tammy Abraham likely to be tiring after an intense Christmas period, the extra body up top can take some of the pressure off his shoulders.
Meanwhile Ahmed El Ghazi has gone off the boil in recent weeks and so he is also up for the chop, Albert Adomah offering a much better option – not to mention work ethic – which can help the 4-4-2 formation work without being a danger.
Smith best go bold for New Year’s Day – it is the only way they can start 2019 with a bang.