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Richards right for Roy

If England are looking to add an extra defender for the next raft of games, they could do far worse than consider a Micah Richards recall.

Even in a struggling side, the Villa captain’s form has been solid so far this season and against Stoke he proved once again that he has the quality and the fitness to be in contention.

Roy Hodgson will have been keeping an eye on Richards and there is no way the quality of his performances have gone unnoticed.

Richards is a great reader of the game and plays with a relentless energy that Villa certainly need. Perhaps England could benefit from it too.

A superb last-ditch tackle in the opening stages against Stoke prevented Villa conceding a certain goal and summed up a commanding display.

A display that saw him as active at the other end of the pitch as he was in defence

Don’t be surprised to see that call up soon.

Gana game will benefit Villa

Tim Sherwood has singled out Idrissa Gana as a new players that has really impressed him and the Senegal midfielder showed against Stoke that he is settling into the claret and blue colours quite comfortably.

Perhaps the tidiest player on the pitch, he does the simple things well and displays real quality on and off the ball.

He has a good engine and a good footballing brain and as the season goes on he will prove to be the most consistent of performers in the centre of Villa’s midfield.

Get at them!

Villa must start stronger.

It wasn’t until they went 1-0 down that Villa finally woke up.

The arrival of Jack Grealish helped as they finally started to probe the towering Stoke City defence.

Villa need much more invention and ingenuity in the opening stages of the game, particularly at home.

For the first 45 minutes they seemed content to launch wayward balls in an attempt to find the head of Gestede.

That particular tactic is far more effective when the ball is whipped in as part of a flowing attacking move.

Unfortunately the wing-back system seemed to flounder with obvious crosses proving easy for Stoke to defend.

There was a static look to Villa early on and the old adage of taking the game to the opposition is something they need to do from the off.

Fans pay good money to watch Villa go for the jugular against teams like Stoke. There was no danger of that today.

Work of Westwood wasted

Ashley Westwood reminds me of Michael Carrick

Westwood is very much the unsung hero in the Villa midfield, rarely putting a foot wrong but constantly making thinks tick.

He reminds me of Michael Carrick at his best, a player with a good passing range constantly trying to orchestrate the play from deep in his own half.

Quite often such players are cruelly dubbed the water-carriers of the team. It’s an important role and one he executes with some aplomb.

Unfortunately the players in front of him aren’t doing his hard work justice all of the time.

Gil must start

Carles Gil showed in a brief substitute cameo why he must have a more prominent role in the Villa side.

Playmakers of real quality are a rare commodity that are worth their weight in gold - and goals. .

I remember watching You Tube videos of Gil when he was first linked and thinking that this could be a real player for the club.

Nothing has changed. His quick feet and intricate footwork need to have a place in the Villa starting XI.

Players like him get called luxury players. That’s fine if you have the luxury of being able to leave him out.

Villa don’t.

They need to be bold, it will more than likely get them out of their current hole by getting Gil starting in the hole.