Steve Bruce could ring the changes as Aston Villa face Barnsley
Boss Steve Bruce is pondering a reshuffle as Villa aim to end their slump against Barnsley tonight.
The manager is expected to change both his tactics and his team for the visit of the Tykes, as he seeks to halt an eight-game winless run which has all but put paid to play-off aspirations.
Bruce conceded after Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Ipswich he had perhaps been guilty of trying to change too much, too soon, following a hectic January transfer window which saw Villa's squad overhauled.
The 3-5-2 formation first used in the 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest earlier this month is likely to be scrapped as Bruce looks for the system which best suits a host of new recruits.
Jack Grealish is back available after serving a one-match suspension though James Bree, a £1.4million signing from Barnsley last month, may miss out on facing his former club as he battles a knee injury.
Villa have lost their last three but Bruce remains convinced his new signings will come good in time.
He said: "I'm sure over the coming weeks and months they will be very very good for the club going forward.
"I'm convinced of that because they've all played to a really high level in this Championship, so I'm sure they'll do that again."
On having another game so quickly on the back of a defeat, he added: "It's here, it's upon us so we go back to work tomorrow and hopefully it's an ideal situation to turn it around."
