Pragmatic approach to things working well for Aston Villa

Paul Lambert's intelligent use of his squad and bringing more experience into the side's defence has paid off.

The form of defender Alan Hutton, centre, has been part of the reason for Aston Villa's strong start to the season. Neville Williams/ Getty Images

The contract extensions came in successive days. Two Scots, both integral in Aston Villa's excellent start, committed their futures to the club. Yet this is a tale of continuity that also represents a stark break with the past.
First, Alan Hutton put pen to paper, then Paul Lambert. Yet the manager's words about his right-back were remarkable. "You know exactly what you will get from Alan," Lambert said.
This is the same Hutton he selected for the first time 26 months into his reign, the same Hutton who was part of the "bomb squad", the group of experienced players who were bombed out as Lambert and owner Randy Lerner looked to build a younger, cheaper team.
Now the self-same Hutton is part of the Premier League's most frugal defence.
Having wasted millions paying players they were not prepared to pick and were not able to sell, Villa had a rethink. It has led to a revival. The former exile Hutton has suddenly become essential.
All concerned deserve credit for the way they have put the past behind them as Villa, after four seasons of relegation battles, the last two under Lambert, now find themselves sitting in second place. They have swapped idealism for pragmatism and prospered.
Hutton epitomised a no-nonsense approach that helped Villa win at Anfield on Saturday. As Lambert said afterward, with a new, no-excuses mantra: "The young lads aren't young anymore."
Indeed, some of the young players, such as Matthew Lowton and Ciaran Clark, are not in the team anymore.
Others, such as the loaned-out contingent of Joe Bennett, Antonio Luna, Aleksandar Tonev and Nicklas Helenius, are not even at the club anymore.
In their place are more seasoned signings like Philippe Senderos and Kieran Richardson, both 29, and Aly Cissokho, 27.
Centre-back Senderos, left-back Cissokho and the recalled Hutton have formed three-quarters of a new-look defence. Villa, who conceded 130 goals in 76 league games under Lambert, have only allowed one in four games.
They have built from the back and even when captain Ron Vlaar, one of the World Cup's outstanding centre-backs, was sidelined for Saturday's trip to Liverpool, Nathan Baker, 23, slotted in seamlessly. Perhaps it helped that he was the lone youngster in an older back four.
Nevertheless, the reliability of the much-maligned Senderos comes as a surprise.
Villa have been shrewd, tougher and more resilient. They have had to be.
They were rightly criticised for their inability to retain the ball last season. They won at Anfield with only 26 per cent of possession and, if fixtures of such difficulty are the exception, another beckons tomorrow.
They are likely to adopt the same game plan against Arsenal, marrying defensive rigour with pace on the counter-attack, rather than attempting anything as naive as trying to out-pass Arsene Wenger's men. It will be another examination of their concentration and their organisation.
The numbers show the extent to which they have depended on the defence. Villa have procured 10 points, despite only recording six shots on target.
It has helped that four of them have ended up in the opposition's goal, with Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann scoring two apiece, and it is a mitigating factor that both their fearsome target man, Christian Benteke, and his deputy, Libor Kozak, are out injured. When Benteke returns, they ought to be more potent, while the signing of Tom Cleverley is an indication Lambert recognises the need to maintain possession of the ball.
Yet logically, despite their current prowess, they do not possess a fail-safe formula.
Their next three opponents are Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, and it will be an achievement if they still possess the division's outstanding defensive record after those games, let alone retain second place in the standings.
But for now, they can savour their start and the change in their fortunes. Villa Park is a different place these days. Just ask Alan Hutton.
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