Dean Smith spoke to the media on Wednesday morning ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League tie against Everton at Villa Park.
The Aston Villa head coach spoke about a number of topics as his side look to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat against Manchester United last weekend.
Here’s what he had to say…
On Jack Grealish…
“The latest is he trained with the group yesterday and he trained with the group on Saturday. When he comes in today, I’ll speak to him today and see how he feels.
“We’ll sit down with the doctor as well and take it from there. I can’t give a positive yes or no. He looked comfortable and he’s a naturally fit player anyway.
“Is he ready to start games? No, but if he feels pain-free then he’s ready to be a part of the squad.”
On the progression made this season…
“The key is that we strengthened in certain areas. This is the first game Ollie Watkins will miss and he’s been excellent. Matty Cash the same, Emi Martinez, Bertrand Traore – who scored a wonderful goal that got overlooked on Sunday.
“We strengthened the squad and the players from last season got better after their first season in the Premier League.
“I feel that has been the biggest turning point for us.”
On the final four games…
“We finished last season unbeaten in our last four games, which enabled us to retain our Premier League status.
“I’d love to go unbeaten again. We’ve got some really good games to play – Everton, Crystal Palace, Tottenham and then Chelsea.
“They’re ones that the players should be licking their lips for and looking to enjoy. That’s what we aim to do and if we do that, we could end up in the top ten.”
On Everton…
“They’re a very good team with very good players and a very good coach. We were very good on the night when we played them last.
“We have to make sure that our performance levels are like that again and similar to what we did in the first half against Manchester United.
“Our performance levels on that day [a 2-1 win at Goodison Park], our concentration levels, our discipline was really good, and we have to do that again.”
