This neatly ties in with the man calling the shots as a change transmits across the Aston Villa camp – new manager Paul Lambert. Having beaten Villa 2-0 with his promoted Norwich side on the final day of the season, Lambert chose to switch alliances between the two sides, in a move reminiscent of when he left Colchester for Norwich, having disposed of the latter in a 7-1 mauling. Villa will be hoping Lambert continues to repeat history as Norwich then returned the favour later that season by hammering his former club 5-0.
Paul Lambert is Aston Villa’s fourth manager in the space of two years and the second Scot on the trot. Yet, unlike McLeish, this Scottish-born ex-player is a prime example of the success of the influence of Sir Alex Ferguson on the influx of Scottish managers into the Premier League. The great Scot himself wasn’t the first – Jock Stein, Kenny Dalglish, Matt Busby and Bill Shankly all influenced British football to exert a stereotypical view that Scottish managers were powerful and vociferous speakers with the mind of a sharp tactician.
Paul Lambert isn’t just a tactically sound choice, though: at Norwich he proved himself a shrewd force in the transfer market, signing ten players – two of which didn’t come until January – with just one coming in on a permanent deal from a team that was then playing their football above the Championship. Six of the ten signings came from teams in the Championship and League One. A finish of 12th place went to prove there were gems outside the Premier League capable of the step up – and at a seeming ease. More importantly, Lambert proved he was the man that could identify them and purchase them.
So far this window, £8.25m has been spent on new recruits at Villa Park: Matthew Lowton has made the step-up from League One to the Premier League for a fee of £2.95m – and Villa fans will be hoping he can emulate the success of Lambert’s last League One signing, Anthony Pilkington; Australian forward Brett Holman on a free transfer from AZ Alkmaar; Moroccan midfielder Karim El Ahmadi from Feyenoord for £2.1m; and Euro 2012 Netherlands defender Ron Vlaar from Feyenoord at the cost of £3.1m.
Prediction
With the signings of Ron Vlaar and Matthew Lowton, Paul Lambert has quickly and efficiently highlighted a worrying ineptitude of the McLeish regime and has brought in these two faces to see about forging the solution to the pressing issue at hand. With Guzan likely to grasp the #1 spot, three changes – at least – may be seen at the back. Drastic times – the worst win ratio ever recorded by an Aston Villa manager – calls for drastic measures – replacing the old guard in the space of a preseason.
Furthermore, since Ashley Young departed Villa Park for Manchester United and Stewart Downing for Liverpool, much of Villa’s creativity has had to come from one man – Charles N’Zogbia. Marc Albrighton also carried a threat, but his nor N’Zogbia’s partnership with Agbonlahor could match their predecessor’s. In Young’s final season at Villa he contributed with 11 assists and Downing added 9: last season, not a single Villa player surpassed five. In Brett Holman, a 28-year old winger from AZ, who last season made 10 assists in 25 appearances, Lambert has addressed this concern and the new signing’s praise for fellow signing Karim El Ahmadi, a defensive midfielder, points towards a more balanced Villa midfield next season. Expect the Moroccan to sit deep to allow the two wingers (from Albrighton, N’Zogbia, Holman and perhaps Agbonlahor) to support the lead striker (Bent.)
With all of this in mind and Paul Lambert’s so far faultless three previous seasons, a comparatively strong season should be expected from Aston Villa. Although heights such as top eight finishes, which were a regular occurrence under Martin O’Neill are perhaps too optimistic, a mid-table finish would satisfy most, given that the top six or seven sides of the Premier League continue to pull away.
Prediction: 12th
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
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