Aston Villa vs Liverpool: Tim Sherwood and the Villians enter the FA cup semi-final riding a wave of optimism... finally

Aston Villa much improved since Sherwood's appointment

(Getty)

If you told Aston Villa fans at the turn of the year they would be six points clear of the relegation zone and in the FA Cup semi-final at this stage of the season, they would’ve asked for your next joke.

However, since the departure of Paul Lambert in February and the appointment of Tim Sherwood, there is a sense of optimism surrounding the club – a rare sight at Villa Park after recent years of disappointment.

Since the 2011/12 season, Villa’s highest finish has been 15th, much different to the three consecutive top six finishes of the Martin O’Neill era a couple years previous. The negativity around Villa was impossible to ignore and as a result, owner Randy Lerner put the club up for sale in 2014.

Christian Benteke has eight goals in his last six matches (Getty)

Without a buyer, Lerner was forced to keep hold of the club and made the decision to appoint Sherwood, which looks to be a good call so far. Under the former Tottenham manager, Villa have flourished and Sherwood’s self-confidence seems to have passed on to the players - no more so than Christian Benteke.

The Belgian has hit his best form of the season at the perfect time and has eight goals in his last six Premier League games including an impressive hat-trick against Queen’s Park Rangers and a crucial winner against Tottenham.

By no means are Villa out of the relegation battle, but if they manage to stay up, Sherwood seems to be an ideal candidate to take the club forward. The Villa boss is not afraid to give youth a chance and recently awarded 19-year-old Jack Grealish his first Premier League start as well as offering other youth players valuable minutes when possible.

With the combination of talented youth coming through the ranks as well as some much needed investment in the squad, Villa could be taking steps in the right direction to get back to the force they once were.

However, The Villains must take care and cannot lose focus on their league survival despite the trip to Wembley on Sunday an obvious distraction. Premier League survival is a must and the FA Cup can be a bonus if they manage to get to the final or even win the competition.

Villa fans will be hoping Sherwood has some inspirational words for the team and star men Benteke and Fabian Delph shine on Sunday to give them something to shout about.

The days of Villa pushing for top six and challenging for Europe are long gone, but under Sherwood, the future is looking fairly bright for the Claret and Blue side of Birmingham.