Tim Sherwood has implored his Aston Villa side to play with more freedom in the remaining 12 Premier League fixtures of the campaign.
The Birmingham outfit were beaten by a last-gasp Victor Moses penalty to fall 2-1 at home to Stoke City on Saturday which saw them drop to second bottom on the table.
As the season run-in starts to take place, new boss Sherwood says his goal is to get the team expressing themselves a little more which he feels could be enough to see them climb out of the mire and into a safe position come season's end.
"I want them to play a bit more relaxed in the final third, get on the ball and go and express themselves," said Sherwood.
"I think we've got a group who are capable of doing that. It's about delivering on match day.
"We know we need to improve and we need to start improving very quickly."
Villa next take on 11th-placed Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday, February 28.
