On Garde: 3 things the new Villa boss changed in goalless draw with City

Aston Villa made the biggest splurge in its history during the summer transfer window, trusting Tim Sherwood with over £50 million after he had guided them to top-flight safety and an FA Cup final after taking over the Birmingham club in February.

Just one win in his opening 10 matches of the 2015-16 Premier League campaign spelled the end of the Englishman's brief reign, with former Arsenal defender and Lyon boss Remi Garde brought in to hopefully steer the Villans away from bottom place and out of the relegation zone.

His first assignment wasn't particularly easy with the visit of league leader Manchester City, but the Villa Park faithful will be greatly encouraged by the work ethic and confidence displayed in an entertaining 0-0 draw.

Here are the three things that changed in Remi Garde's first game in charge:

French contingent

Much of the Aston Villa piggy bank was emptied onto the desks of various French clubs, with FC Lorient, Nice, Nantes, and Lille all receiving around €10 million each for their respective players.

With an unforeseen amount spent on predominantly French-speaking players, it is no great surprise that the board opted for a Gallic gaffer.

Kieran Richardson had inexplicably been the first choice left-back for some time, so Garde promptly drafted in Jordan Amavi, the talented France under-21 international who gave Bacary Sagna a tough shift going forward in the first half and displayed his propensity to snuff out attacks throughout.

Jordan Veretout was also handed a start in lieu of Villa's talented yet lightweight midfielder Jack Grealish. A niggling injury had hampered the 22-year-old's beginning at his new club, but Veretout played with his head up and with great conviction.

Confidence in possession

In the first half, Villa started quickly and zipped the ball around with real purpose. At times, the side's insistence on retaining possession - playing as a home team should - did get caught out a couple of times, but that's to be expected from one rooted to the bottom of the table.

City came at them more in the second stanza, and carved out three chances within the 6-yard box that were somehow not converted. Villa did defend stoutly for the most part, though, showing a fight that had been lacking during the previous 11 matches.

In the past, they likely would've come undone.

He got Villa Park singing

Yes, his team didn't muster a shot on target for the whole 90 minutes, and with the visitor tallying four times the attempts on goal, Villa was a little lucky. But the change in personnel and the evident change in team's approach made for a lively atmosphere on Sunday.

With the exception of the vitriol when former skipper Fabian Delph was introduced for City in the 84th minute, and the tense mood during injury time, the home support seemed to be in a celebratory mood.

It appears the fans in B6 firmly believe things will improve.