From fixing the defence to recruiting 'good people': How Aston Villa got back on track

The last time Aston Villa occupied the top of the Premier League table was October 27, 2001.

On that Saturday afternoon, Dean Smith was operating in the puddles and potholes of the old Third Division with Leyton Orient, captaining the club to a 4-2 win over Rochdale.

After the game, you can picture Smith in the dressing room frantically checking Teletext, or scrolling through an old Nokia for a message from his brother Dave, to discover the result of his beloved claret and blue.

Nearly two decades later Smith is Villa’s head coach, and while it is still early days in the season, he will appreciate the significance of claiming top spot if he takes a point off Leeds on Friday night.

Smith has guided Villa to their best start to a season since 1930, less than 90 days after scrambling to safety in the final game, and the feelgood factor is tangible.

“We’ve certainly had a very good start and to get maximum points has exceeded our expectations,” said Smith this week.

“Finishing 17th last season for us didn’t feel good to us or right, it felt underwhelming. We want to do better than that.

“We’re only four games into a 38-game season and there is a long way to go. Complacency is a killer and the players have to want to improve.”

What has been the secret? From video coaching his defenders to excellent recruitment and the appointment of Craig Shakespeare as one of Smith’s assistants, Villa are now dreaming of a brighter future.

Reorganising the defence

The resurgence can be traced back to lockdown in March. Smith needed to “reset” after the 4-0 drubbing at Leicester — a fourth successive defeat — and worked during that period to identify Villa’s weaknesses.

He held individual meetings with every player on Zoom, focusing mainly on the defence: Villa had conceded a league-high 56 times, making ten errors leading to goals, and were too easy to score against, especially from set plays.

Smith made his players watch videos of Liverpool and Lazio defending, stripping it back to the basics and improving their defensive discipline.

When Villa returned from lockdown, they conceded 11 goals in the final ten games and it was a key factor in their survival.

Tyrone Mings is already an England international, and there is confidence behind the scenes that Ezri Konsa could soon join him in Gareth Southgate’s squad.

The right men in the right jobs

After securing survival, Villa then began preparing for this season with a full review of their recruitment and scouting operations. Jesús García Pitarch departed as sporting director and was swiftly replaced by Johan Lange from Copenhagen.

Lange is shrewd and methodical, introducing a more data-based approach and working closely with chief executive Christian Purslow on the four permanent signings — Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Bertrand Traore and Matty Cash — who cost around £80 million.

All those players arrived before the first league game of the season, another key requirement for the hierarchy.

Villa worked hard on finding “good characters and good people”, with Rob Mackenzie appointed by Lange as Head of Recruitment after previous spells with Leicester, Tottenham and OH Leuven. The appointment of a new loans manager is up next.

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Getting back in shape

The style of play for this season was honed during a pre-season training camp at The Vale Resort, near Cardiff, and the 4-3-3 set-up has flourished.

Defence remains the solid base, protected further by Douglas Luiz, but Villa are now more fluid in attack: as demonstrated in the astonishing 7-2 thrashing of champions Liverpool.

Ross Barkley’s arrival on loan from Chelsea was seen as the game-changer, with the midfielder scoring two goals in two appearances and liberating captain Jack Grealish, who was outstanding in the win over Leicester on Sunday:

Grealish is given more freedom to roam from the left to inside the pitch, drawing defenders away and creating space for the likes of Barkley and John McGinn.

Villa are playing with confidence and have the momentum from last season’s escape from relegation, which worked for Leicester in the 2015/16 campaign under Claudio Ranieri.

Premier League experience behind the scenes...

Shakespeare, who was Ranieri’s assistant for that title win, has been a key figure at Villa since arriving in August.

Smith used to clean his boots at Walsall in the 1980s and Shakespeare has provided the Premier League experience that Purslow, in particular, felt was lacking in the technical area last season.

A fine coach with a wicked sense of humour ( and a boyhood Villa fan), Shakespeare has slotted in well alongside John Terry, Richard O’Kelly and Neil Cutler.

Terry, by the way, continues to play an important role, holding individual training sessions with the defenders and often performing the tub-thumping speeches before kick-off.

...and the next generation on the pitch

Away from the first-team, there are also clear signs of progress. The under-18s have won five games out of five and the opening of a new £6 million performance centre at Villa’s training ground is imminent and a huge upgrade.

The club’s owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, are intent on building a strong infrastructure and recently injected fresh capital into the club’s holding company.

Smith is battling to keep a lid on growing expectations and the big disappointment for him will be that Villa’s reawakening is without the club’s fans.

He is one of them, after all, and is, by his own admission, just “a Great Barr kid”.