Aston Villa’s Midfield Key To Championship

Aston Villa`s midfield dynamic – the key to Championship promotion

Aston Villa recorded a much-needed 4-2 win over Norwich on Saturday to end an awful start to the new campaign, with Steve Bruce`s men relieving some of the pressure with victory over the Canaries.

After adding a number of household names from the Premier League over the summer, the Midlands outfit are expected to challenge for promotion this term – but the start of the campaign has been very concerning.

One point from the first three Championship games was a dreadful opening to the 2017-18 season and as such the win over Norwich was essential in restoring some self belief.

The latest betting sites still think that Villa are well-placed to challenge for promotion to the Premier League, with short odds on Bruce`s men to finish in the top six.

However, the Villans boss needs to get his midfield dynamic sorted if the Midlands outfit are to play to their potential and build consistency.

The summer acquisition of Glenn Whelan raised a few eyebrows, especially given the sheer number of players that Villa already have in central midfield.

The Irish veteran`s introduction to life at the club has been underwhelming and it is fair to suggest that others should be considered as more appealing options in the heart of the Villa side.

Bruce has an array of players to pick from, with Mile Jedinak, Henri Lansbury, Birkir Bjarnason and Conor Hourihane all staking a claim for inclusion.

Add to this the fact that Villa are yet to find the ideal role for impressive loanee Josh Onomah and Bruce has some serious thinking to do.

The Midlands side have been fielding a 4-4-2 formation so far this season, but given the sheer amount of central midfield options, a new system could well be required.

All of the afore-mentioned players have their merits.

Hourihane showed his ability with a hat-trick in the win over Norwich, while Lansbury is a seasoned professional at Championship level.

Jedinak`s will-to-win and work-rate make him a leader and fans favourite, while Bjarnason`s performances at Iceland at Euro 2016 were nothing short of breathtaking.

With important games on the horizon and the need to build on the win over Norwich, Bruce should select a first-choice pairing or trio, based on their respective attributes, and stick to it.

Villa need to forge combinations and create player understanding, especially in central midfield – four of the five senior players in this role have joined the club this year and as such it is only natural that they are not all singing off the same hymn sheet as yet.

The argument for banishing Whelan to the bench is starting to add up, especially once Jedinak is fit, while getting the best out of Hourihane could be a key element towards success.

However, with pressure on Bruce to have this Villa side fighting for promotion, the manager needs to sort out his team selection in the boiler room if the fans are to get their wish of a return to the Premier League.