The new Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has publicly stated that he is eager to instill a more attacking approach at the club, in an attempt to avoid relegation this current season. The former Tottenham boss was appointed manager a few days ago, and admitted when he was called, it was a "no-brainer" as to whether or not he'd take the reigns at Villa Park.
The Villains fell into the relegation zone after losing 2-0 against Hull last weekend, which led to the sacking of Paul Lambert. In his press conference, Sherwood stated that the team need to start playing more aggressively if they are to win more matches. "I was only looking from the outside but they have looked a little bit tentative. I think they need to play on the front foot a little bit more. You are going to win games, you are going to lose games between now and the end of the season.
But let's have a go fighting and start throwing a few punches ourselves. When I came here (Villa Park) as a player, it was a difficult place to come and get results. I want to turn this place back into a fortress again, especially between now and the end of the season. It is very, very important that this club stays in the Premier League."
Sherwood was heavily linked with managerial openings following his departure from Spurs at the end of the last season, but admitted it was an easy decision to make his managerial return with another Premier League outfit such as Villa themselves: "This is a fantastic opportunity, it is a huge football club. When I got the call asking if I would be interested in coming to present to Aston Villa, it was a no-brainer. It was about seeing if they liked what they said; fortunately they did, and now I'm here. I said yes, I'll take the job, and we will negotiate afterwards."
On Christian Benteke's dip in form, having only scored three goals this season: "I remember playing against Benteke as a manager and I know what a handful he can be - we need to get him back to that. If he scores goals, it will breed confidence, and the rest will follow. This is certainly not a one-man team but he is going to be an important part of it because we know what he can be. We need to try and see if he can re-capture his form, and I'm sure we can get him back firing - he is going to be a very important part of this squad going forward, as are others."
STAT: Villa have not won a Premier League match since December, their 2-1 win over Leicester. They've lost seven of their last ten league games - but have beaten Blackpool, Bournemouth and Leicester in the FA Cup following the start of 2015.