Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard was pleased with his side's defensive display in their 1-0 win against Southampton at Villa Park.
Speaking after the match, in which Jacob Ramsey's volley just before the interval separated the sides, Gerrard said his side had enjoyed more success playing more pragmatic football so far in the campaign.
The tie was not a thriller, but The Villains were able to limit the chances that the visitors had, and they made the most of their period of dominance before the break to win.
In his post-match interview, Gerrard spoke about Villa's performance, The Villain's new style of play and goal scorer Ramsey.
-
On Villa's performance
Gerrard acknowledged that the quality of the match was not the highest, but said that he was delighted with the fighting spirit his side showed to persevere and keep the clean sheet.
The former Liverpool midfielder also said that Villa's previous outing against Manchester City, in which they picked up a surprise point in a 1-1 draw, had helped him to realise that his team would need to grasp the basics before branching out to playing more entertaining football.
It was a vital win for Gerrard, who had seen his position come under scrutiny from the Villa fans before taking four points from his last two games.
"It wasn't pretty and I don't think many would have enjoyed it from a football perspective, but for us it was a really important win.
"There was a lot of pressure on us in the last few weeks, we haven't been performing anywhere near our level, but with a positive result against City all eyes were on us.
"We backed it up but in a different way, a pragmatic way and a hard working way.
"A lot of the [recent] criticism is fair, but we had to accept that and take responsibility for it as a group.
"To be fair to the players they've rolled their sleeves up and the last two or three performances have been a lot more positive."
-
On The Villains' approach to the match
The hosts were happy to soak up pressure from The Saints in the game, a method which is not normally associated with Gerrard's tactical style.
However, Gerrard insisted the game plan will become central to Villa's tactical setup until they gain more confidence defensively and master the basics.
There is no doubt that a clean sheet will do the world of good for his defenders, who had conceded 10 goals from their first six games in the league before Friday night.
How long a more defensive style will be deployed by Gerrard remains to be seen, but as long as they are picking up points, it is hard to believe that it would be important to the Villa fans how their side approach the games they play anyway.
"We've had to change our style a little bit in terms of digging in, fighting more, maybe less of the pretty stuff and sticking together until we move up the league.
"We got a lot of success early on by being pragmatic and solid and blocking them up the pitch.
"We just needed to analyse it and take a step back before we could move forward."
-
On Jacob Ramsey
Gerrard was full of praise for his young English midfielder.
He took his goal well on the day, a smart half volley under pressure which he blazed into the roof of the net.
Ramsey undoubtedly has talent in abundance, and with Gerrard being the perfect mentor for him, he has all he needs to go far in the game.
"He's got a lot of physical attributes, he's a strong runner, he's powerful, he's a great kid he wants to learn, he's a really strong ball carrier, he can create and he can score.
"He's got all the tools and all the attributes but he needs to develop, we need to stay clear with him and take our time but for the Villa supporters its fantastic to have one of their own.
"That's why I wanted to bring in [Philippe] Coutinho, I wanted him to see what elite looks like."