Aston Villa's Band of Misfits Have Reshaped Their Defensive Identity

The euphoric start to Aston Villa's 2014-15 season continued on Saturday with a gritty 1-0 win against Liverpool, continuing Villa's run of success at Anfield and helping to vault Villa to second place in the Barclays Premier League table. 

Villa were viewed by many as relegation candidates entering the season, and their fans are reveling at the team's impressive showings through four matches. After applying good pressure to Liverpool early, Villa took a deserved lead and defended it well to earn all three points.

It was no fluke that Villa looked so convincing on the defensive end. Having only conceded one goal so far this season, Paul Lambert trusted in his defence to preserve Villa's advantage, and Villa's back four delivered for him as Villa earned yet another clean sheet. 

What has been most surprising about Villa's impregnable defence has been that its success can be attributed to the rehabilitation of a group castoffs and misfits into a cohesive unit that has performed well in each of Villa's first four games.

This is perfectly exemplified by looking at Villa's starting defence against Liverpool. Brad Guzan, Alan Hutton, Philippe Senderos, Nathan Baker and Aly Cissokho have all faced their share of criticism, but they performed well as individuals and as a group to earn Villa a hard-fought victory on Saturday.

Although Guzan is now in his third season as Villa's first-choice goalkeeper, it was not long ago that he was on his way out of Villa Park after spending several seasons on the bench, waiting for a chance to make a lasting impression. 

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Having served as backup to Brad Friedel, Guzan's career looked to have stalled when Shay Given was brought in as Friedel's successor instead of Guzan. However, when Lambert took over at Villa Park he convinced Guzan to stay and fight for his place in one of his first acts as Villa's manager.

It only took Guzan a few games to usurp Given in the starting line-up, and the American has not missed a game since, proving his ability as a shot stopper. He was completely untroubled against Liverpool and has emerged as a leader in Villa's improving team.

Another played who rewarded Lambert's trust in him on Saturday was Baker, who came in for the injured Ron Vlaar and delivered a man of the match performance against all expectations.

Baker's rash tackling, boneheaded errors and his lack of refinement led him to be constantly criticized and ridiculed. Against Liverpool, Baker was unrecognizable, offering a composed and effective performance.

It will take more than his showing against Liverpool to prove his long-term worth, but Baker has taken a crucial first step in reversing the public perception of his abilities.

Similarly, Baker's defensive partner Senderos has hardly been the most popular player over the course of his career. From Arsenal to Fulham to Valencia, Senderos has never established himself as a consistent performer. Upon moving to Villa, many questioned if Senderos was good enough to improve Villa.

Senderos has resoundingly responded to these critics with a series of consistent, level-headed showings at the back. In addition, the Swiss defender has frequently threatened from set pieces and deserves as much credit as anyone for Villa's brilliant start to the season.

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Another new signing and former Valencia player that has impressed in Villa's back four is left-back Cissokho. Deemed surplus to requirements by the Spanish club, Cissokho spent last year at Liverpool in what was overwhelmingly viewed as an unsuccessful loan spell.

Nonetheless, Lambert believed in Cissokho's ability and has been repaid in full by the Frenchman. Fast, strong and disciplined, Cissokho made crucial interventions that helped to defeat his former club on Saturday, and the Frenchman may finally satisfy Villa's longstanding need for a reliable left-back. 

Finally, the most surprising success story of all comes at right-back where Hutton has firmly reestablished himself as a starter against all odds.

Hutton arrived at Villa Park from Tottenham Hotspur in 2011, signed by Villa's then manager Alex McLeish. Hutton had a poor debut campaign and was quickly cast off to train separately from the first team by the incoming Lambert.

Loan deals to Nottingham Forest, Mallorca and Bolton kept Hutton's career from completely stagnating, but the Scotsman did not play a single minute under Lambert over the past two seasons. This past summer, things unexpectedly changed when Hutton started the pre-season preparations with the first team.

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Impressive displays in friendly matches earned Hutton the start on opening day, and Hutton has retained his place ever since and could be seen as the team's best performer. The Scotsman signed a new, three-year contract with Villa and has firmly established himself as the right-back going forward.

Both Lambert and Hutton must be credited for putting their past differences aside for the benefit of the team. Few could have seen it coming, but Hutton has been an integral member of the defence and now must prove that he deserves his new contract. 

Only time will tell if Villa's band of misfits can continue their strong showings for the remainder of the season, but despite nearly unanimous fears over Villa's roster entering the season, Lambert has successfully rehabilitated this group of unpopular players into an impressively organized defensive unit.