It's not unusual for an incoming manager to sprinkle his new side with youngsters, but it's difficult to remember a modernisation as dramatic as Paul Lambert’s at Aston Villa.

Few predicted an Aston Villa win at Anfield on Saturday but a big performance has been coming for a few weeks -- Lambert's side was unfortunate to lose against Manchester United, and while the 5-0 defeat at Manchester City was a harsh reflection of their performance, Villa fully deserved their point against Arsenal. They're in the Capital One Cup semifinals and are now unbeaten in six games -- Lambert's faith in youth is paying off after a difficult start to the season.

Villa's weekend line-up against Liverpool was their youngest in Premier League history, and Brett Holman was the only outfield player over 24 years old. The squad numbers in Aston Villa's starting XI are another symbolic, if unscientific, representation of the huge turnover in playing staff. Only centre back Ciaran Clark wore a "traditional" 1-11 shirt number at the weekend -- numbers 30, 31, 32 and 34 were all on show.

Also, Lambert has ruthlessly cast aside the most experienced members of his squad. Shay Given, Richard Dunne and Darren Bent had made a combined 1,077 Premier League appearances before this season. Would they be the solid spine for Lambert to build around? No -- Villa's number 1, number 5 and number 9 are not part of Lambert’s first-choice side.

This is a modern squad for a long-term project and Lambert knows the importance of universality in the modern game; this is an era in which goalkeepers must be comfortable with their feet, and strikers are praised for defensive contributions. Football has become less compartmentalised, meaning that Given, Dunne and Bent have been left behind --they're specialists, excelling in particular actions but arguably not contributing positively overall.

Bent is the obvious example. His unerring finishing ability is unquestionable and when he joined Villa, the signing made perfect sense for a team that possessed some fine creative players but lacked a finishing touch. Bent provided the goals, making an instant impact after his 24 million-pound move from Sunderland with nine goals in half a season. The problem, however, was that his creators left that summer: all nine assists were from Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and Kyle Walker, who spent the next season at Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham, respectively.

Their replacements weren't similar stylistically so the shape of the side altered significantly, also changing the role of Villa's centre forward. Bent wasn't prolific last season -- Alex McLeish's negative approach hardly helped -- and since he was unable to depend upon service from wide, he needed to contribute more outside the penalty box.

Lambert's preference for using Christian Benteke up front has been controversial but after increasingly encouraging displays, his performance at Anfield on Saturday afternoon demonstrated why he's Villa’s best all-round striker. A long-range opener was followed by a fine run and finish for his second goal. He also assisted Andreas Weimann's strike with a neat back-heel and won ten of his 17 aerial duels against Liverpool's centre backs, significantly better than Bent's ratio in the air. Bent's goals compilation might be lengthier, but Benteke contributes more overall.

"He has turned himself into a fans' favourite here, that’s for sure, and his general game is outstanding at the minute," says Lambert. "You've got to be a special type of player to play that lone striker role."

At the other end of the pitch, there's a similar debate. Given's shot-stopping ability is fantastic but the Irishman has always been criticised for his inability to command his box, claim crosses and help his centre backs. He frequently makes spectacular saves to deny the opposition goals, but less quantifiable is the cost of him staying on his line, which invites pressure and allows strikers to fire in apparently "unstoppable" shots.

Brad Guzan, on the other hand, has developed his all-round game. He once endured a miserable game against Blackburn when he repeatedly failed to claim the ball when coming for crosses, yet he's improved immeasurably in this respect and has dealt with Stoke City's aerial bombardment admirably twice in 2012. His distribution -- another area where Given falls down, especially with his feet -- is good, and he appears a better communicator and organiser than the Irishman.

The third example of Lambert's preference for all-rounders comes with a huge caveat -- Dunne has been out injured since Euro 2012 and won't return until next year. However, considering Lambert's massive transformation at Aston Villa, it's difficult to imagine Dunne playing a key role.

He's essentially a centre back version of Given. If you want someone to make a last-ditch tackle or a goal-saving block on the edge of the 6-yard box, Dunne's your man -- but is that a desirable situation? A top-quality defender anticipates and prevents the danger before play has reached that stage. Dunne is slow on the turn while his pace over longer distances -- once his surprising trump card -- has declined over the past couple of years. According to one football magazine, Dunne was the heaviest player in the Premier League last season, a sign that he lacks the athleticism needed in modern football.

In all probability, none of the three will start 2013-14 with Aston Villa yet will find employment elsewhere in the Premier League. After all, other managers will appreciate Bent's ruthlessness, Given's reflexes and Dunne's commitment.

But as a clever manager seeking to evolve his side and change formation from week to week, Lambert desires more complete footballers. He's aiming for a European place in two seasons' time, and in the age of universality, top clubs simply don't contain footballers as basic as Villa's forgotten trio.

Michael Cox is a freelance writer for ESPN.com. He runs zonalmarking.net.

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