Aston Villa's Weary Players Must Turn Their Seasons Around Under Tim Sherwood

Aston Villa's unpredictable season has taken yet another change as the club has made a long overdue managerial change. Paul Lambert finally wore out his welcome in Birmingham and former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood now faces the daunting task of reviving the spirit surrounding Villa Park and guiding the team to safety from relegation.

One of Sherwood's first challenges will be to assess the squad he has inherited in order to determine which players have been overplayed and which have been underutilized from the previous regime. With the transfer window closed, there will not be opportunities for Sherwood to reinforce the squad and he must make do with what he has. 

The most obvious player who is desperately out of form is Villa's star striker Christian Benteke. The Belgian set the league ablaze in his debut season at the club and was the subject of several serious transfer approaches as a result.

Injuries may have stalled his progress last year, but Benteke was still the team's focal point when healthy. This season, however, the striker has endured a horrific slump that saw him benched for Lambert's final games in charge of the club.

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Benteke has managed just two goals from 13 appearances in the league, a completely unacceptable figure for a player of Benteke's caliber. Although there is more to good forward play than just scoring goals, Benteke has barely contributed in other areas of the pitch either this year.

A dominant force due to his size and strength, Benteke's ability to win headers and hold off opponents used to create Villa a decent number of chances, but these opportunities have all but vanished lately. His overall hold-up play has significantly deteriorated as he has too often resorted to fancy flicks and tricks rather than make the simpler play.

This will have to change under Sherwood. The new manager has previously spearheaded a successful reclamation project of an out-of-sorts striker with Emmanuel Adebayor at Tottenham. He must do similar work with Benteke in order for Villa to remain in the Premier League next season.

The Guardian's Stuart James has reported that Sherwood has already made it a priority to reinvigorate the slumping striker, as well as to coax better performances out of other Villa players.

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We need to see if he can recapture that form because all the best clubs in the world were after him. I am sure we can tap into that confidence and get him back firing. But he’s going to need to be helped out by the rest of the group as well. So it’s not only Christian Benteke, there are a lot of other players in the squad and they need to step to the front now and start performing.

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Based on his comments, it is apparent that Sherwood is well aware of the need to motivate not just Benteke but many other of Villa's slumping players. For various reasons, there are several members of Villa's current squads who have not performed up to expectations and who will be the ones to keep an eye on. 

Midfielders Tom Cleverley and Fabian Delph have very different contract situations, but both drastically need to improve. Cleverley, who is finishing a season-long loan from Manchester United, has been underwhelming in his stay at Villa Park and will need to show more desire and authority than he did under Lambert if he hopes to leave a positive impression on the Villa fans.

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Delph, who was irresistible last season, has struggled to find consistency this year. Having surprisingly signed a contract extension to stay with the club, Delph has since regressed. His injury problems appear to be reemerging and he has not provided the burst of energy from midfield that the Villa fans grew used to seeing.

If there is one position that Villa are not shy of options in it is central midfield. Therefore, Cleverley and Delph will have to improve if they are to keep their places. Ashley Westwood and Carlos Sanchez have been more consistent and more impactful respectively. 

Then there is the case of Leandro Bacuna, an intriguing player who could also challenge for a midfield slot despite barely featuring thus far this season. Bacuna is a young and athletic player whose career seemingly stalled out of nowhere after a promising debut in the Premier League last year.  

The Dutchman was a regular under Lambert last season, but the rebirth of Alan Hutton ended Bacuna's run as the team's right-back and his future chances may lie in midfield. Bacuna made a rare start against Leicester City in Villa's victory in the FA Cup on Sunday and came up with a huge goal to put the home team ahead under the approving gaze of his new manager. 

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Bacuna's goal will certainly force Sherwood to consider giving him more chances to impress. While Bacuna never seemed a long-term fit at right-back, he still has plenty to offer a struggling team like Villa's and he may demonstrate that in the coming weeks.

Finally, the last player whose fortunes may change the most is Jack Grealish. The young winger entered the season expected to play a big role, but he has been limited to infrequent appearances off the bench and has failed to truly impact the proceedings. 

It was always a bit ambitious and dangerous to place lofty expectations on such a young player; however, Grealish is undeniably talented and should have been given an opportunity to start at some point this season over the likes of Charles N'Zogbia, Gabriel Agbonlahor or Andreas Weimann.

Now, with Sherwood taking charge, Grealish could yet have the impact this season that many predicted. Carles Gil has offered a big boost to Villa for his ability to create chances and Grealish could make similar contributions under Sherwood. 

Sherwood's tactics and personality have made him a controversial figure, but his short period at Tottenham saw him come into a demoralized team and make an immediate impact on the players and through the table. Villa fans will have their finger crossed that he can work his magic yet again and get Villa's weary squad back on track.