View: Three things learned from Aston Villa 4-0 thrashing of Brentford
Well, it’s fair to say no one expected such an emphatic performance from Aston Villa as they started the post-Steven Gerrard era with a 4-0 demolition of Brentford.
This contest was over before it really got started and Gerrard must be sat at home thinking where on earth was this performance when he needed it most.
It was certainly the right time for Gerrard to leave the club, but it ultimately shows the players had downed tools and for that, they should hang their heads in shame. The defeat against Fulham and the win over Brentford were chalk and cheese. We know Gerrard’s methods weren’t working, but failure to fight and work hard whilst in a Villa jersey is inexcusable.
A new era begins now at Villa Park, and the win against the Bees will certainly give fans a positive outlook heading into the busy run of fixtures before the World Cup break. Here Villa News looks at three things we learnt from their win over Thomas Frank’s side.
Bailey brilliance
Leon Bailey has seen his Villa career teeter on the edge for far too long and let’s hope his performance on Sunday (23 October) is the start of the Jamaican really taking the Premier League by storm. His mesmerising run in the build-up to Watkins’ fourth goal showed the pace and directness that he can bring to the side and the new man at Villa Park would be smart to centre his plans around the 25-year-old.
A goal, assist, two key passes and two dribbles (Whoscored) capped an enjoyable afternoon’s work for Bailey. It’s hard to say whether Gerrard was the issue for the Jamaican, but he certainly played with a lot more freedom against the Bees.
Managerial decision
Aaron Danks will not be the next Aston Villa manager, that is abundantly clear. However, could this result see the club just put the breaks on their pursuit of a new permanent boss? Villa face Newcastle, Manchester United, Brighton and Liverpool before the World Cup break in what is a tricky run of fixtures.
Danks has clearly got a tune out of these players and allowing him to continue until the break may well be the best option for Villa. It will allow for a new manager to come in and have a month to work with the players before their Premier League campaign gets back underway after Christmas.
Furthermore, it will allow a new man to start afresh with the January window also fast Approaching. Let’s wait and see how long this new manager bounce will last. The board should try and ride with it as long as possible.
Frank isn’t the answer
This is something which has previously been alluded to by Villa News, but Thomas Frank is not the answer to their managerial headache and today’s result will hopefully put their admiration of the Brentford boss firmly on the back burner.
His team have suffered a number of poor results recently and considering the difference in structure and size of the club at Villa, he is certainly not the right man for the job.
Villa were good value today, but they were certainly helped by some abysmal defending from Frank’s side. One to avoid.
In other Aston Villa news, it could soon be time for this African sensation to come back into the fold to try and turn around the poor form.