Roberto Di Matteo was in a buoyant mood as he faced the media ahead of Villa’s trip to Bristol City.
After two defeats in his first two games as Villa boss, Di Matteo has seen his side improve, picking up a win and two draws as his new look Villa side focus their sights on closing the gap to Huddersfield at the top of the table.
Speaking ahead of the game, he said:
It would be great to keep that momentum going. It’s so important to build that up.
Personally I think we are missing a couple of points that we have given away along the way.
But it’s part of our process in that we are making a lot of changes and are trying to implement some principles of attacking and defending in our game.
Saturday’s trip to Bristol could also see Mile Jedinak and Richie De Laet making their debuts, as Roberto Di Matteo continues a much needed overhaul of Villa’s squad.
Speaking about De Laet, he said:
I have not been surprised by what I have seen of him on the training pitch.
He works very well and I am very pleased he has joined us.
Speaking about Jedinak, he said:
We knew a lot about him before he joined.
He has brought exactly the qualities we expected into this group.
Di Matteo also gave his thoughts on Saturday’s opponents, who are one point ahead of Villa going into the game at Ashton Gate.
Lee Johnson’s side have lost their two league games, against Norwich and Newcastle, losing 1-0 on both occasions after winning their opening two fixtures against Wigan and Burton.
It’s a team that likes to play football and a team that has a good start.
If you look at the last few years, really, it’s been on the up.
They got promotion two years ago and then stayed in the league. They are looking to improve.
Looking at the last few games, they have been a very tough opponent.
