Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa: Three things that we learnt

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Aston Villa are much better than they were a year ago

They may be in a lower division, but that Aston Villa side was much better than the one that was relegated from the Premier League last season. After some poor managerial appointments, they appear to have got it right in Steve Bruce. The Englishman is vastly experienced and very good at rebuilding teams to gain promotion. He did it with Birmingham City and Hull City and he is now attempting to do it with Aston Villa. It was a hugely difficult job due to the losing culture and negative atmosphere around the club, but he is certainly taking them in the right direction.

Villa were difficult to break down in the first half and Tottenham were restricted to only one shot in the first half. This was the first time any side had done this to Spurs since August 2011. Last season, Villa were conceding clear cut chances all the time and lacked the tenacity required to fight for their Premier League place. Bruce has organised them much better and although they showed little attacking threat, there were lots of reasons to be optimistic about the future. It will be difficult to get them to the top two this season, but they are seven points away from the play-offs and could be an outside bet to finish in those top six places.