Villa have been leaky at the back in the season’s opening weeks.
Unai Emery has warned there is no quick fix for Villa’s early season defensive woes.
The boss is confident his team will improve at the back after conceding twice in each of their last three Premier League matches.
Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Brentford, which saw John McGinn’s potential match-winner swiftly cancelled out, means they have won just one of their first six games.
But while Emery knows there is an urgency to improve, he says it must be balanced against the reality of a team which underwent huge change during the summer.
He explained: “We must be patient. Of course, in football and the Premier League the process must be fast as possible.
“But we must have understanding that in some situations we have to be patient and work hard.
“We can use each match to improve. On Saturday we improved some things but not enough.”
Villa lost England international Ezri Konsa in the transfer window and his replacement Taylor Harwood-Bellis, a £30million signing from Southampton, is yet to play in the league and on Saturday was once more omitted from the matchday squad.
Emery kept faith with veteran pairing Tyrone Mings and Victor Lindelof against the Bees.
Emery said: “I think Lindelof is replacing him (Konsa) playing well.
“Taylor as well is adapting to us and is going to progress and feel better.
“When we arrived here Konsa was one player and after the process he was getting better and improving and became the player he is now.
“We are going to need time with some players but it is something we know.”