Swansea manager Garry Monk believes the only way is up for Tim Sherwood as the two coaching course mates prepare to cross tactical swords at Villa Park . Monk and new Aston Villa boss Sherwood got to know each other on the same Football Association of Wales Pro-Licence coaching course but the practical takes precedence over the theory on Saturday with three Barclays Premier League points at stake . Sherwood got his break in management at Tottenham first - a position he was unlucky to lose according to Monk - and the former England midfielder has revived Villa 's fortunes with three successive wins taking them away from the Premier League danger zone and into the semi-final of the FA Cup . Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood is preparing for the visit of former coaching coursemate Garry Monk . Sherwood has enjoyed a great start to life since taking over the Villa Park managerial hot-seat . 'He 's gone in there and lifted the confidence in the group , ' Monk said at his pre-match press conference . 'You need results to do that but they 've got very good players there who obviously were n't playing to their full potential before Tim took over . 'But he 's had an instant impact . He 's a very honest guy , black and white , and that comes across in his interviews and the way he approaches the game . Garry Monk believes himself and Sherwood are very much their own men despite their similarities . 'They 're fighting for their lives and we know this game is vitally important to them but it is the same for us . 'We 've got our own agenda , we want to achieve our best total of 47 points , and I think you 've seen our attitude and focus in our recent games against Tottenham and Liverpool . 'The actual performances deserved more than they got and we need to make sure we replicate that to get the points at Villa . ' The pair have both been labelled with the tag of bright , young British managers , even if the 46-year-old Sherwood is actually 10 years older than Monk who celebrated his first anniversary as Swansea boss last month . Swansea manager Monk observes his players during the training session at the Fairwood Training Centre . But Monk says while certain similarities exist between them they are very much their own men with notable differences . 'When Tim came in at Spurs he was already within the club at that time , albeit within a different coaching role , ' Monk said . ' I came from a playing background into it and I would n't say we were similar managers with the same approach or anything like that . 'But we 've got the same desire , commitment and principles and are clear in what we want . ' I 'm on the same coaching course as Tim and his views on football are very interesting . Monk believes the former Tottenham Hotspur boss will certainly take Aston Villa forward in the future . 'He 's had a fantastic start and I am sure he will take Aston Villa forward after being unlucky at Tottenham . 'He has been given his chance and taken the opportunity really well , he has got them going . ' Swansea are seeking to recover from back-to-back league defeats and will come across a former favourite at Villa Park in the shape of Scott Sinclair . The 25-year-old 's career nose-dived after his £6.2million move from Swansea to Manchester City in August 2012 , Sinclair starting only two league games at the Etihad Stadium before joining Villa on loan in January . Scott Sinclair will come up against his former Swansea teammates during the game at Villa Park . But Sinclair has thrived under Sherwood with three goals in five games and Monk admits it is satisfying to see his former teammate doing well after such a difficult time in his career . 'Scotty has been searching for regular football and it is good to see him playing , ' Monk said . 'He did tremendously well for us and we will never forget what he did here . 'It is no surprise to see him playing regular football in the Premier League because he 's got the talent to do that . ' Sinclair has thrived since arriving at Aston Villa following an unproductive spell with Manchester City .
Swansea manager Garry Monk believes Tim Sherwood has a big future . Duo met doing the same FA of Wales Pro-Licence coaching course . On Sunday the course friends do battle with each other at Villa Park . Monk admits both are very much their own men despite their similarities .