Aston Villa: Lewis Grabban is becoming the perfect fit

With two goals in consecutive games, forward Lewis Grabban has started his time at Aston Villa in a positive manner.

The on-loan striker scored a penalty mid-way through the second half against Preston North End to record a point at home. He then scored his second goal in as many games on the weekend against Sheffield Wednesday, as Grabban was able to capitalize on a rebound.

This goal also bought the score back level as Villa went on to record an enthralling 4-2 win at Hillsborough. Grabban has shown he has a knack for scoring those scrappy goals. He also showed his composure when he stepped up to take the penalty at Villa Park to get the team back level at a crucial part of the game.

Even though he is only here until the end of the season, Grabban appears to be a great fit for the current situation at the club, and his record supports the decision from Steve Bruce to bring him in.

Man in-form:

Having scored 12 goals while on loan at Sunderland, Grabban now has 14 this season in the Championship and Villa hope he can improve upon that with further match time.

For Bruce to have a striker who is in a rich goal scoring period of his career available at such a crucial stage of the season is key for Villa.

Unfortunately for Villa, Scott Hogan has gone a bit cold after his impressive run-of-form through late December and January, which coincidentally matched Villa’s fantastic seven-game win streak. The difference with Grabban compared to Hogan, is that the striker loaned from Bournemouth seems to create more chances on his own. Additionally, he may not be as mobile or pacey as Hogan, but his finishing invites the wingers to put the ball into the box, creating a mess for defenders, and letting Grabban score.

Creating freedom for fellow strikers:

Having Grabban as a second striker to play up front with Hogan, or as a weapon from the bench also takes some pressure off Keinan Davis. Davis himself has been impressive as a super-sub in recent games.

Despite Hogan’s drop in form, having Grabban means they are both competing for game time, depending on that week’s formation. This can only be good for the squad which has been injury ravaged these past three weeks.

Another of the key attributes of Grabban so far is his calm and experience in the EFL Championship. He has won promotion with two different clubs in Norwich and Bournemouth. It’s still early, but in four games, including one start, Grabban has looked good in the claret and blue. Already with two goals in just 169 minutes of football, the English-born striker is what Aston Villa needed to continue the push for automatic promotion.

Next: Keinan Davis: Super-Sub

Lewis Grabban became the perfect fit for Villa after his deadline day arrival.