Aston Villa have found their genie in Tim Sherwood

New Delhi: For a Premier League club that had been fighting for relegation safety alongside having the least goals scored in the division, the arrival of former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood casted a spell of new belief and fight for Aston Villa players. Suddenly there is a wave of positivity and transformation in the Villa camp which has been orchestrated by Sherwood.

After the 2-1 victory against a much fancied Liverpool in the semi-final encounter of the FA Cup at Wembley on Sunday, Villa have found themselves in a position where they have a chance in winning a rare piece of silverware. Defending champions Arsenal will be a big threat but Villa look as a side that will be up to the task in the final next month.

Sherwood's arrival at the Birmingham based club has seen the side notch some crucial victories on the road in the Premier League and FA Cup. Villa are currently 15th in the EPL table and a couple of wins will see them steer to safety. With the belief Sherwood has produced in the squad, it is likely that they can finish higher in the table with five league games left.

Another remarkable thing Sherwood has done is revitalising Christian Benteke. The Belgian is back to scoring goals and is performing in a top level that are helping Villa get results. Benteke was brilliant against Liverpool on Sunday and scored a goal too, as Villa dominated the game outwiting their opponents in the entire process.

The club that was looking like a faded force under former manager Paul Lambert has found a manager that can give them the space to improve further and get the best out of their young squad. Sherwood's first job will still be to finish safely in the Premier League and a win against Arsenal at Wembley next month will be an icing on the cake as apart from a trophy, it will also hand them a place in the Europa league. Sherwood will relish that prospect.

That has been the shift of paradigm in the Villa camp. From a period of uncertainity their fortunes now seem different to pave a way for better and bigger things.

Villa has found their genie and a chance for the fans to dream of something big was an unbelievable story months back.