Tim Sherwood dismisses talk of leaked line-up as Aston Villa boss insists his tactics were spot on in win over Birmingham City

Home Top

KAPOW! Fury dresses up as Batman and KOs the Joker as he ramps up psychological battle with heavyweight rival Klitschko
Liverpool make their move for trophy king Ancelotti as pressure mounts on under-fire Rodgers after sloppy start to the season
Wenger to divorce wife after Arsenal boss's separation is 'made official'
Rodgers vs Ancelotti: The staggering contrast in CVs of the two managers
Liverpool has always been a club that excites me, nobody sings an anthem like them... what Ancelotti said
SPANISH VIEW: If Liverpool want a rabble-rouser, Ancelotti isn't the man. But he's deeply respected by stars
Burgess IN, Farrell IN, Vunipola IN as England ring changes for Wales clash
VERDICT: Has Lancaster abandoned his principles in choosing brawn over flair ahead of Wales crunch clash?
Martial, De Bruyne and Costa among big buys earning average of £12.4m a year... and 12 are in Premier League
LIVE: Japan vs Scotland... after shocking South Africa, minnows eye another big scalp in World Cup clash at Gloucester
REVEALED: Kaka is highest earner in US above Gerrard and Pirlo as MLS publish salaries (and Bradley Wright-Phillips takes home MORE than his brother Shaun!)
$Arsenal's Brazilian defender Gabriel (L) and Chelsea's Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa (2nd R) are separated by Arsenal's Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech (C) as they clash during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on September 19, 2015. AFP PHOTO / IAN KINGTON \n\nRESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo credit should read IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)$ MARTIN SAMUEL: Diego Costa may be a nasty piece of work but there's a grudging admiration for him
Ferguson 'still doesn't have a clue who Pogba is', blasts agent
Murray and Co to contest Davis Cup final between Great Britain and Belgium in Ghent... on clay
Red Bull again threaten to quit F1 at end of season for failure over engine
Ballance snubbed for central contract as Morgan and Wood pen deals
Lewandowski scores FIVE goals in NINE minutes... and he was only a sub! Bayern star makes history with sensational spree
Kop that! Liverpool flop Balotelli reminds Rodgers what he's capable of as striker hits amazing free-kick for AC Milan at Udinese
Carneiro v Mourinho row deepens as axed doctor fails to return to Chelsea with club braced for legal fight
Chelsea fuming as Costa is banned for three matches but Gabriel is let off
Giroud set for audition against Spurs as he eyes leading role ahead of Theo
Three tunnels, NFL changing rooms and the largest single tier in the UK... Tottenham reveal latest plans for £400m stadium
Roberts ready to tackle England rookie Burgess before Wales ace heads off to uni
Now England fear Joseph could be out for entire World Cup pool stages

Aston Villa defeated Birmingham City in the League Cup
Rudy Gestede scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory
Villa boss Tim Sherwood was involved in a post-match row with opposite number at Birmingham Gary Rowett
Rowett claimed to have known Villa's line-up in advance
Sherwood dismissed those claims and insisted that his tactics were prepared to perfection as Villa beat their midlands rivals
It's not too late to sign up for MailOnline's fantasy football game

Published: 17:39 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 07:11 EST, 23 September 2015

View
comments

Aston Villa's victory over Birmingham City was followed by needling comments between the rival managers, with Gary Rowett claiming he knew Tim Sherwood's team selection on Monday.

Sherwood reacted with bemusement at the suggestion of a leak, insisting he had tactically out-maneuvered the Championship team and his side should have won by more than Rudy Gestede's goal.

The Villa manager said he always planned to play long ball in the first-half to wear down Birmingham's midfield and force their defenders to play deeper, then introduce Jack Grealish to maximize the additional space and shift to a short passing game. Villa's play was much improved second half.

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood reacts on the touchline during the 1-0 win over Birmingham City

Villa striker Rudy Gestede rises highest to score a header and secure a 1-0 win for his side over the Blues

Gestede, a £6m signing from Blackburn in the summer, celebrates his goal at Villa Park on Tuesday night

Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett watches on from the touchline during the League Cup tie

But Rowett scoffed at the suggestion, assessing his team had controlled possession in the opening period and fashioned the better chances.

He said: 'I think he’s talking absolute rubbish to be honest with you.

'I have heard Tim said he purposely let us do that in the first half so they could change tactics in the second half but I'm not sure a tactic of getting booed at half-time would particularly be a good one.

'I felt first-half tactically we got the game spot on, I actually knew their team yesterday funnily enough, and we did a little bit of work against it.

'That often happens, you get a little tip off. Sometimes they're right sometimes they're not. We haven't chased that.

'We got some runners into some great positions first half. Out of desperation they changed it at half-time because they had to. Grealish got into good pockets and made it difficult for us to press in the same intensity.'

Told about Rowett's claim to have known his first XI, a perplexed Sherwood said: 'Well done. Of course it's not nice is it. Did he tell you who it was? Bit interesting why he even mentioned it. Strange.'

Sherwood added: 'It was always the plan to go very direct in the first period. In the second period they were ten to 15 yards deeper than they were in the first.

Villa striker Jordan Ayew has a shot at goal during the match against Birmingham but his effort is wide

Villa midfielder Jack Grealish stretches to control the ball during the League Cup third-round tie

'That gave us space for people to get in between lines, the likes of Jack Grealish. Birmingham were worn down in the second period and we should have won by more.

'It was easy for Jack in the second period because the space was there. I am not taking away from his his quality, I am the biggest fan of his, but they were caught by surprise, all of a sudden we stopped hitting it long, got Jordan Veretout and Ashley Westwood on the ball started popping it around them.

'I was happy with the first period to be honest. It's not about being great to watch. We were on a hiding to nothing tonight. We showed a lot of bottle after a first half like that, even though it's how I wanted them to play.'

Sherwood started Ciaran Clark in a holding midfield role and Villa fans booed at the break after a fragmented display. Jordan Ayew and Grealish were introduced at half-time for Gabby Agbonlahor and Joleon Lescott and a vibrant performance followed.