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Aston Villa 3-0 Derby: 3 Thoughts Following Pride Park Victory

By Josh Tonti

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: John Terry assistant coach of Aston Villa and Richard OKelly assistant head coach and Dean Smith, Manager of Aston Villa look on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Swansea City at Villa Park on October 20, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: John Terry assistant coach of Aston Villa and Richard OKelly assistant head coach and Dean Smith, Manager of Aston Villa look on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Swansea City at Villa Park on October 20, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) /
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Aston Villa’s 3-0 victory at Derby County was a statement victory heading into the international break. Dean Smith’s team has a lot to build on in the following weeks and months.

ICYMI: Player ratings were posted shortly after the whistle.

The November FIFA international window comes at a less-than-ideal time for Dean Smith and Aston Villa. A full week off, with many starters joining their respective national teams, cuts away time from a club building momentum from its most recent results. Villa return after the window to an intense Second City Derby match-up.

Below, my three thoughts:

1. Remaining contending clubs have losses too

Norwich City remain top of the EFL Championship table after an exhilarating 4-3 victory over Millwall. But, it took the Canaries two goals in stoppage time to earn three points. On the season, they have four losses and a goal differential that’s only twice as large as Villa’s, at +8.

The theme here is that there is not a Wolverhampton Wanderers of last season or an early 2018 version of Fulham in the league this season. Realistically, as many as 13 or 14 clubs have a shot at winning England’s second division and promotion back to the Premier League. This past weekend’s results were kind to the middle of the table. West Brom hammered Leeds 4-1, Sheffield United played out to a scoreless draw with Sheffield Wednesday, Villa beat Derby, and Nottingham Forest could not beat Stoke.

2. Maybe Conor Hourihane can make this position work

I wasn’t overly impressed with Conor Hourihane in the No. 6 position vs. Bolton just a week ago. And while I have my reservations about how Aston Villa can cope against certain teams in a midfield three of Grealish, McGinn, Hourihane; there’s no denying the talent the trio possesses.

Villa have been linked to new midfielders, notably ex-Villan Barry Bannan, but perhaps Conor Hourihane can make deep-lying defensive midfielder his new position.

He’s one of the 5 best players at the club…..he just happens to play the same position as both Jack Grealish and John McGinn, the two best.

3. Left-back should be the #1 priority during the January transfer window

Neil Taylor has had a resurgent return to Villa’s starting XI under Dean Smith with two excellent starts and two poor ones. He was substituted at half-time vs. Derby County with a muscle injury, but it didn’t look to serious as he played for 20 minutes after treatment.

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Still, with no recognizable alternative (Alan Hutton shifted to left-back after HT), the position needs a fresh face. Taylor will turn 30 in February and honestly hasn’t been the same ever since the start of the 2016/2017 season with Swansea.

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