Dean Smith spoke to the media on Tuesday morning ahead of Aston Villa’s Premier League encounter against Tottenham Hotspur.
Villa’s head coach, speaking via virtual press conference, discussed plenty of topics prior to Wednesday’s clash (ko 6pm), including the return of supporters, Villa’s away form this season, Emi Martinez’s maiden campaign with the club, facing Spurs and the latest team news.
Here’s what he had to say…
On the return of supporters…
“I think everybody is looking forward to it. I think the last year has shown just how important supporters are, they are the heart and soul of football. And we’ve certainly missed that.
“Obviously we’ll have no away fans there at Tottenham but it will be good to just see fans and hear them in the ground.
“I watched the Play-Off Semi-Finals last night and the atmospheres were great in both stadiums. I’m really looking forward to it.
“I think we’ve all felt it, we made five new signings in the summer and their family and friends have never actually seen them play in front of supporters or play at Villa Park.
“So for the players as well, it’s something they’ve been missing to play in front of their loved ones.”
On team news…
“Morgan (Sanson) is still not available, he’s just got a recurrence of the knee injury so he’s out for the last couple of games.
“Matty Cash the same with his hamstring, but I’m hopeful Tyrone Mings trains today.”
On whether Jack Grealish is ready to start…
“Jack is training today and then we’ll have a discussion with him after and with the medical staff to decide on the progress of his recovery.
“We had a plan for his comeback for the last four games and we’ll adapt that in terms of how he feels and how much loading he’s getting.”
On potentially giving debuts to younger players…
“It’s certainly difficult to manage because of the quality of the teams we’re playing.
“We’ve got some quality young players, probably tomorrow will be the best chance because come Sunday (against Chelsea) they’ve got an FA Youth Cup Final on the Monday. I’ll certainly want the players to play in that.
“It gives us an opportunity to look at things tomorrow, that’s for sure.”
On Villa’s away form…
“There’s certainly been a neutrality in terms of home and away fixtures this season without fans. And I think that’s been proven across the board.
"I think most teams have got better away records this season.
“We’re certainly missing our fans at Villa Park but we’ll have them back on Sunday.
“But our away form has been something we want to continue into next season.”
On Spurs…
“I expect a good game. They’ve got a front four who are capable of hurting anybody in Gareth Bale, Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane.
“So we have to make sure defensively we are much better than we were second half against Crystal Palace.
“If you concede 23 chances against Tottenham, you’re going to concede goals.
“So we have to make sure we’re tight, for sure, in this game.”
On Emi Martinez...
“He’s been excellent. To get 15 clean sheets, especially after last season when we never got a clean sheet away from home, is a remarkable achievement.
“We knew what we were getting, I think he had proven that at the end of the season with Arsenal.
“We were fortunate to get him but feel blessed he’s an Aston Villa player now.
“He’s really enjoying his time here and I think it just shows that this club wants to really progress and go places.
“But the whole team has defended better this season, that’s something that hasn’t dropped off throughout the season - defensive stats.
“Unfortunately, in the last 14 or 15 games, we’ve probably dropped off in terms of creating chances and that can happen when your best player comes out of the team.”
