Five things Steve Bruce needs to address straight away at Aston Villa

Hit the ground running

It might sound obvious, but there is no time to waste. Villa host rivals Wolves on Saturday and Bruce will have precious little time to prepare the team. Neither is history on his side. No Villa manager has won their first game in charge since John Gregory in 1998 but if Bruce can reverse the trend, it will give his tenure some early momentum. Villa play three games during his first full week in charge and the league table could soon look very different with some positive results. A victory in the derby at St Andrew's later this month, meanwhile, would instantly win over any fans still smarting over the new boss's Blues connections.

Find the right balance

Roberto Di Matteo recruited some decent players during the summer but seemed unsure of how best to use them. Formations during the final weeks of his reign changed more frequently than the wind yet the Italian never really hit on the right formula. Bruce needs to settle on a system which makes the most of Villa's numerous attacking talents – they have scored less than a goal a game to this point – while also retaining defensive solidity.

Fix the mentality

For all Villa's failings on the pitch during his brief reign, Di Matteo did at least make a start on changing the rotten culture at Bodymoor Heath which has pervaded for far too long. Still, there remains work to do. Villa's habit of conceding late goals began to seem more mental than tactical and Bruce, a renowned man-manager, will be eager to boost confidence levels among a squad which had begun to show signs of fragility.

Pick out some January targets

Villa were the Championship's second biggest spenders during the summer and owner Tony Xia certainly can't be accused of not putting his money where his mouth is. However, there still appear to be some significant holes in this squad, most notably in defence and midfield. Villa lack a truly creative player who can provide the link between defence and attack (though this could be Jack Grealish – see point five). At the back, meanwhile, they appear dreadfully short of cover, particularly at centre-back. The loss of Ritchie De Laet to a season-ending knee injury did not help in that respect and Bruce may want reinforcements, particularly if he chooses to play a back three.

Solve the Jack Grealish conundrum once and for all

Di Matteo might have only been in post for four months, yet the Italian still had to deal with yet another off-field incident involving the playmaker. Grealish has the potential to be the difference maker for this Villa team but too often flatters to deceive. There are many who will argue he he too often been played out of position on the wing. They may be right. Either way, he's a player Bruce will want to get firing.