5 Tactical Changes to Get Aston Villa out of Their Slump

Aston Villa's poor form continued on Sunday with a gut-wrenching loss to Newcastle. After combating well with the hosts for most of the match, Villa were unable to weather a late storm from Newcastle's attack and conceded a last gasp winner that robbed Villa of a crucial point.

Now without a win in their last four matches, Villa are slumping at the wrong time. Many of the Premier League's basement dwellers are getting results while Paul Lambert's team have languished since their derby win against West Bromwich Albion.

Desperately in need of a victory, Villa prepare to face their manager's former team, Norwich City. In order to ensure a victory against Norwich, as well as to improve Villa's performances for the rest of the season, here are five tactical changes Lambert should make to get Villa out of their slump.

Patience in Possession

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With just one goal scored in their last four matches, Villa's attack has become increasingly predictable and ineffective. Villa base their attack on two primary strategies: lumping the ball long towards Christian Benteke and absorbing pressure before igniting a quick counter.

Both strategies have had some success. Many of Villa's wins, most notably against Manchester City and Southampton, have come from precise counterattacks. Counters suit Villa's pacey strikers and are a staple part of Villa's identity.

In a similar manner, playing off of Benteke's aerial prowess has been fruitful as well. Villa's 4-3 win against West Brom came mostly as a result of this approach and it has been relatively effective, if unattractive.

Nonetheless, by limiting themselves to these strategies, Villa have become predictable and easy to defend against. Lambert must adapt and encourage his team to be more patient in possession, allowing attacks to build over time.

According to WhoScored.com, Villa average the third-lowest amount of possession per match, highlighting their overly direct approach. 

Although the lack of skillful and creative players will prevent Villa from utilizing patient build-up play as the crux of their attack, Villa are capable of retaining more possession and would certainly benefit from increased and improved patience on the ball.

Field Lowton and Bacuna Together

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Leandro Bacuna may have been Lambert's least heralded signing when he first arrived at Villa Park last summer. It has not taken the Dutchman long to prove his worth, however, and Bacuna has become a fixture of the first XI.

Playing primarily at right-back, Bacuna's impressive displays have had the unfortunate consequence of reducing fellow right-back Matthew Lowton's playing time. Lowton was a standout performer last season and is one of Villa's best crossers and is a strong passer overall.

Lowton, despite failing to recapture his form from last season, greatly improves Villa's play down the right and deserves more playing time than he has received. Rather than dropping Bacuna, however, Lambert should instead field the two players together to make the best use of their talents.

Both Bacuna and Lowton have the technical quality and industry to succeed in midfield or as a full-back. Playing the pair in tandem gives Villa more options in attack and increases their ability to retain possession. 

Lambert has played Bacuna and Lowton together on a few occasions before, most recently in the derby win over West Brom, and he should consider using the pair of players together again.

Change Weimann and Albrighton's Roles

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During Lambert's tenure as Villa's manager, several players have established themselves as first-team regulars while others have struggled to get on the pitch over the past couple of seasons. Andreas Weimann and Marc Albrighton are two such players.

Weimann had a breakthrough season under Lambert last year and has routinely started when fit. In contrast, Albrighton was one of Villa's key players before Lambert's arrival at the club and the winger has struggled to secure regular playing time since the Scotsman took over.

Lambert must acknowledge his players' recent performances, however, and change how he views the two players. 

Weimann has failed to regularly perform this season despite being given ample opportunities to impress. The Austrian striker is a tireless runner, but his quality on the ball has been poor. Dropping Weimann to the bench will give Villa a dangerous set of fresh legs off the bench without overly relying on him as a creative player.

Albrighton has been in good form and is better suited to play on the right flank than Weimann. A true winger whose first priority is delivering a teasing cross to a teammate, Albrighton should be regularly starting and providing service to Villa's strikers.

Although Albrighton has featured more often in the past several months, Lambert should fully commit to the Englishman and give Albrighton the starting role his performances have earned, benching Weimann in the process. Using Albrighton as a starter and Weimann as a substitute better suits their respective skillsets.

Stabilize the Left Side of Defence

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It has become a familiar story for Villa fans that their team regularly struggles at defending their left flank. While Ron Vlaar has more than proved himself on Villa's right side, there has been far less certainty elsewhere in defence.

Nathan Baker has started in each of Villa's last four matches at centre-back. While it is unfair to solely blame him for Villa's recent shortcomings, the young defender has routinely struggled. The central defender is unreliable in possession and it does not appear that Vlaar trusts Baker as his partner.

Ciaran Clark has looked more assured partnering Vlaar and should return to the first XI against Norwich. The Irish defender is more comfortable on the ball and has improved from uneasy performances in his past. Vlaar and Clark should be Lambert's first-choice partnership going forward.

Perhaps more troubling is Villa's left-back situation. Ryan Bertrand, Joe Bennett and Antonio Luna have each struggled to varying degrees in their time at Villa Park.

Of the trio, Bertrand has been preferred since signing on loan in January and he should continue to start. Lambert has reintroduced Bennett to the team in recent weeks, but he has not improved much from his disastrous debut season with the club.

Bertrand is still relatively new to the team and will improve as his time on the pitch increases and his fitness improves. He should continue to regularly start with Luna as his deputy. Bennett does not appear ready to be relied upon regularly and he should not be playing if his fellow left-backs are available.

Be More Pragmatic with Substitutions

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Impact substitutions have been a rarity for Villa this season and Sunday's loss to Newcastle epitomized this long-standing problem. With the game up for grabs, Lambert used just two of his three substitutions, both to introduce defensive-minded players.

The introduction of Yacouba Sylla was particularly troubling. Sylla is a stern tackler and keen runner, but he lacks technical refinement and is prone to giving the ball away. He has struggled to retain possession or contribute to building attacks and these flaws were on display against Newcastle.

Meanwhile, Villa's best and most creative player of their previous two matches, Albrighton, sat and watched from the bench. Grant Holt also could have been introduced to freshen Villa's attack, but Lambert didn't turn to his on-loan striker either.

Similarly, in Villa's previous draw with Cardiff, Lambert used just a single substitution while chasing the win. Summer signing Nicklas Helenius, a promising young striker, has been an unused substitute many times this season and has been given few chances to try and impact a game off the bench.

Lambert must become more pragmatic and positive with his substitutions if he wants his team to succeed. Rather than settling for a draw or accepting a loss the manager must make impact substitutions that give his team the best chance possible to win all three points.

Albrighton's sterling performance as a substitute against West Ham demonstrates this. While the winger was unable to change Villa's fortunes on that day, Albrighton completely changed Villa's approach and created many chances for his team to come back and get a result. 

Pushing for victories rather than settling for draws will ultimately give Villa the greatest chance to gain points for the remainder of the Premier League season.