Aston Villa started the season incredibly badly and the board had to make a quick decision to sack Steve Bruce and replace him with Brentford’s talented manager, Dean Smith.
After a season where Villa reached the Championship Play-off Final, there were high hopes expected of the Birmingham side but they failed to start the season well.
Going forward, Villa didn’t seem to struggle to score goals but at the back, Villa were awful. With the introduction of Dean Smith, however, the club’s fortunes have changed almost instantly and have won three of their five games under the new manager.
Against Derby, Villa put in their best performance of the season and demolished a side that will be contending for promotion this season. With that win, Villa have now risen to 11th in the table and are now only four points off Derby in sixth and might just be the dark horse in the promotion race.
As seen during his time with Brentford, Dean Smith turned the side into one of the most entertaining and attacking sides in the league. With Oliver Watkins and Neal Maupay up front, Brentford rose to the top of the table.
At Villa, the talented manager has a wealth of talent at his disposal and with Tammy Abraham, Yannick Bolasie, Anwar El-Ghazi and Jack Grealish, Smith could well turn Villa into the most potent attacking force in the league.
At the back too he’s also started to turn things around aided by John Terry and they’ve kept clean sheets in their last two games. With Smith now at the club and considering the amount of talent they have, Villa could well rise up the table quickly albeit the next few games will be crucial as they play Birmingham City, Middlesbrough, West Brom and Leeds.
