Notwithstanding the recent wins nor today's defeat, I'm not convinced by our 4-4-2 as it allows the opposition to over-run us in midfield and also keeps Odomah on the bench. I'd play an offensive 4-4-3 (or, if you like, a 4-1-2-3). You could play two up front with a 5-3-2 but I don't have faith in Bruce to organise a 3-man defence (every time he tries, it reminds me of that time Sherwood attempted it against Stoke with that bargain-basement Spanish defender - what was his name?).
Ivo's Villa team would line up like this:
Johnson
Elmohamady, Chester, (Terry/Samba), Taylor
(Whelan/Jedinak/Doyles-Hayes)
Hourihane, (Odomah/Grealish/O'Hare)
(Snodgrass/Adomah), Davis, (Kodja/Green)
(Players not mentioned are not in my thoughts.)
Some observations from the season so far:
Steve Bruce's Villa aren't a football team, they are a percentages team. That's fine, so long as you play them (see Graham Taylor the first, or Martin O'Neill - although his wingers whipped the ball in much earlier). Today, all we had to do was hit clearances to Davis. He always takes care of business from there. But we didn't, we kept playing ourselves into trouble, then took Davis off without subbing on a replacement. (What, Hogan came on? I didn't notice him). I assume Davis went off as he is apparently carrying an injury Jedinak-style. If we lose Davis, we are toast.
Villa don't win matches from team-play, we basically hold the opposition at bay and then rely on one of the front five for a moment of magic. (Snodgrass nearly provided that today with the dinked free-kick that hit the bar.)
Hogan would score 20 goals a season for Wolves, he'd be lucky to get five for Villa if he played every game. Just sell him and get a back-up/competition target man for Davis.
Despite Bruce, I expect us to be in and around the play-offs come April, purely because we probably have the deepest squad in the Championship. Wolves looked great today but where will they be in February if Neves and Jota are injured/knackered? We can replace most players, except Davis (I would have also said Taylor but it turns out that Hutton is a left-back extraordinaire).