Analysis: Jack Grealish shines as Aston Villa begin to look the real deal

All it has taken is three weeks and four games to rejuvenate a season which briefly threatened to go off the rails.

Not since the opening weeks of the campaign have Villa been so close to the automatic promotion places.

Not until now have they looked such serious contenders to be sitting in the top two come May.

Saturday’s 3-1 win over Barnsley was their fourth league victory on the spin, matching their previous best run of form this season.

Yet there are some significant differences between that September sequence – which, ironically enough, started with a win at Barnsley – and what we are seeing now.

From grinding out results through durability and experience, Villa are now putting opponents away with a style and swagger not seen for several years, particularly at home.

In their last three Championship games at Villa Park, Steve Bruce’s men have scored 10 goals, the same number they had netted in the previous seven fixtures in front of their own fans.

The reasons for the shift are numerous. One of them, undoubtedly, is the electric form of Jack Grealish.

After an often difficult two-and-a-half years since he first burst onto the scene in early 2015, Grealish is finally beginning to look the player Villa supporters have always known he could be.

The statistics might show he contributed just the one assist – setting Conor Hourihane up for what proved to be the final goal of the match on 19 minutes – yet his influence and importance to this team extends far beyond mere numbers.

Positioned just behind a rejuvenated Scott Hogan, Grealish is the glue now holding Villa’s attacking unit together, directing play and ensuring the team’s numerous other weapons get their chance to come to the party.

It is hardly a one-man show. Albert Adomah – for the first hour – and Robert Snodgrass both enjoyed fine games, while Hogan continued his resurgence by scoring twice inside the opening seven minutes.

Yet it is Grealish who remains the conductor and on Saturday, for the first half at least, Barnsley were unable to change the tune, even after Dimitri Cavare’s header had briefly brought them back to within a goal.

When Villa eventually did go off the boil past the hour mark, their defence and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone ensured they got over the line without too much trouble. Few teams have been as good at closing out games as Bruce’s this season. Now, finally, they have the style to match their substance.

Suspicions things are falling nicely into place for Villa are further raised by the fact their one recent hiccup – the FA Cup exit to Peterborough – now affords them a rare, extended break in an otherwise heavily congested season.

The time for rest and recuperation has been well earned by those players who have managed to so quickly change the mood, after the 2-1 Boxing Day defeat at Brentford had left many wondering whether the play-offs might be the extent of Villa’s ambitions.

But having now worked their way into such a promising position, there can be no let-up.

An 18-game season remains a lifetime in the Championship. Twists and turns are guaranteed. Performances will not always be so easy on the eye as Saturday’s first half.

Never have Villa looked more ready for the challenge.