Aston Villa
Jack Grealish’s two-word reaction to missing the last two Premier League games
Aston Villa have been without their skipper Jack Grealish for the last two Premier League games, but they have managed to pick up three points from a possible six. Dean Smith’s men secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Leeds United at Elland Road yesterday, bouncing back from last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Leicester City. Villa were not at the top of their game during both encounters, struggling to create chances due to the absence of Grealish. They visit 20th-placed Sheffield United on Wednesday and will be hoping to leave with all three points in order to boost their chances of playing European football next season. It remains to be seen if Grealish will be playing against the Blades, but the 25-year-old cannot wait to get back on the pitch, and he has taken to Instagram to...
‘Surprising’: Alan Shearer delivers honest verdict on Leeds after defeat vs Villa
Leeds United lost 1-0 against Aston Villa in the Premier League at Elland Road on Saturday. Anwar El Ghazi scored an early goal for Villa and Dean Smith’s side maintained the lead throughout. Villa were resolute at the back and Leeds failed to find a way to break them down. Once again, Leeds enjoyed loads of possession but surprisingly they failed to create enough clear-cut opportunities. Speaking to Premier League productions post-match (h/t Leeds Live), popular football pundit Alan Shearer has suggested what has surprised him about Leeds. “They had a gameplan, kicked it long and then played one or two-touch football in the final third and they never gave Leeds a chance to settle or get into the game,” he said. “Leeds were very flat, low on energy, which is surprising. “You have to say we...
Bielsa reveals what he told £20m Villa player after the match
Leeds United lost 1-0 against Aston Villa in the Premier League at Elland Road on Saturday. Before the match started, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa was seen chatting with Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. In the post-match press conference, when Bielsa was asked to comment what he said to Martinez, the Leeds boss replied (h/t Leeds Live): “We just said hello. We’re compatriots.” Martinez, who joined in the summer transfer window from Arsenal for a fee in the region of £20 million, has been simply outstanding for Villa this season. The Argentine wasn’t forced to make enough saves during the game against Leeds, but he did well enough to make his presence felt. SL View – Different view from Bielsa Leeds didn’t create enough clear-cut chances, while Villa did well to frustrate them after ta...
Big blow for West Ham, Man City star returns, Chelsea man misses out
The 26th round of fixtures in the Premier League features some key match-ups at both ends of the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the weekend. The action is already underway, with Manchester City going head-to-head with West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium. Ruben Dias and John Stones got the City goals, with Michail Antonio replying for the visitors. West Bromwich Albion versus Brighton & Hove Albion is the 3.00 pm kick-off, with Leeds United vs Aston Villa following. Newcastle United round off proceedings today with a tough home fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers. There are five games on Sunday, with the clash between Chelsea and Manchester United the pick of the bunch. The Blues will be witho...
Predicted Aston Villa XI v Leeds United: Smith to make two changes, 26-yr-old to start
Aston Villa travel to Leeds United in the Premier League this weekend and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways. They were beaten by Leicester City in their last outing and Dean Smith will demand a strong reaction from his players. Villa are currently going through an injury crisis and will be without key players Matty Cash and Jack Grealish. Kortney Hause is also sidelined with an injury, while Wesley is still working his way up to match fitness. Smith: “Matty Cash is back on the training pitches running, we’ll be guided by the medical department on when he joins in with us. “Kortney Hause is due to be back on the grass next week, and Wesley should be back in full contact training in the next week or two.”#LEEAVL pic.twitter.com/r1nKACnfZV — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February ...
‘There was such history around the club’ – 10-goal star confirms turning down Villa to join Newcastle
Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has reflected on his decision to turn down Aston Villa in the summer. According to the reports, Bournemouth had accepted offers from Aston Villa and Newcastle but the player chose to join the magpies instead. Aston Villa have had an outstanding season so far and they are 8th in the league table with 36 points from 23 matches. Meanwhile, Newcastle are having to fight for their survival in the Premier League. They are 16th in the table, just three points above the drop zone. However, Wilson has claimed that he does not regret his decision to join Newcastle. He said to the Chronicle: “I stand by my decision. I made my decision at that point in time based on the facts I’d written down, and the opportunities in front of me. I stand by my decision, and...
Bielsa delivers three word reaction about Leeds star’s availability against Aston Villa
Leeds United will take on Aston Villa in the Premier League clash on Saturday. Ahead of the match, Marcelo Bielsa has delivered the latest team news, and Leeds fans won’t be very happy with it. The Leeds boss has confirmed that both Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo are unavailable once again through injuries. Also, doubts remain about Mateusz Klich’s fitness. The Polish midfielder was taken off in the last match against the Saints. Bielsa has claimed that Klich is doing well at the moment, but when asked whether the midfielder would be available for the weekend clash, he replied – “I don’t know.” Robin Koch due back in training the first week of March. #lufc — Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 25, 2021 Bielsa has suggested (as per Phil Hay) that the club is not taking any risks with Phillips w...
‘Stimulus for us’: Leeds man makes interesting claim about ‘great’ Villa player
Marcelo Bielsa has described Jack Grealish as a ‘great’ player ahead of Leeds United’s Premier League game against Aston Villa on Saturday. Grealish missed Villa’s defeat against Leicester City in the previous match. He is apparently suffering from a leg injury and is doubtful for this weekend. While it is a huge boost for Leeds if Grealish misses out, Bielsa has suggested that he would want his side to face the playmaker. The 25-year-old has been in outstanding form for Villa this season, and Dean Smith is confident that he can shake off his injury and play against Leeds. However, Bielsa being Bielsa, he feels that his players will perform even better if Grealish plays, hinting that his presence could motivate his players to play out of their skin. “On one side he is a great player, a pla...
‘I’m begging’, ‘Brilliant signing’ – Some AVFC fans react with club named favourites to land 23y/o
According to Eurosport, Aston Villa are keeping an eye on the situation of Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge ahead of the summer transfer window and are the early favourites to land him. The Norway international has been out injured since last December following surgery to a tendon injury, and he could be put up for sale at the end of the season if Chris Wilder’s side fail to beat the drop. That is a big ask at the moment as the Blades are 20th in the Premier League and 14 points off safety. Berge joined the club from Genk for a club-record fee of £22 million last January and would be keen to remain in the top-flight should they go down. Villa could do with the quality of the Norwegian in the middle of the park next season as manager Dean Smith looks to further strengthen his option...
Dean Smith confirms he will speak to 23-yr-old Aston Villa star regarding transfer rumours
Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has been recently linked with a move to Tottenham and Liverpool. The 23-year-old centre back has been in outstanding form for the West Midlands club and he has helped them keep 12 clean sheets in the Premier League so far. It is hardly a surprise that the top Premier League clubs are keen on signing him at the end of the season and manager Dean Smith has now responded to the transfer interest in the player. Smith has revealed that Konsa is a focused individual who is unlikely to be distracted with all the transfer talk. The Villa manager has also revealed that he will speak to the young defender regarding the reported rumours. Smith was quoted saying (via Birmingham Mail): “He certainly won’t get distracted. I’m not sure Ezri reads any newspapers but he’s pr...
Aston Villa star in awe of what Spurs star did in the Europa League last night
Tottenham Hotspur secured a 4-1 victory over Austrian Bundesliga side Wolfsberger in the first-leg of the Europa League last-32 yesterday, with Heung-Min Son, Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius all getting on the scoresheet. It was a straightforward victory for Spurs, and the duo of Dele Alli and Bale provided a timely reminder of their quality. The Real Madrid loanee assisted Son’s opener before scoring a fine goal following a lovely piece of skill, and he might have played his way into Tottenham’s starting XI for Sunday’s trip to West Ham United after his impressive performance. Alli returned to Spurs starting line-up for the first time in over 80 days against Wolfsberger, and while he had no hand in goal, the midfielder was splendid for the whole 78 minutes he spent on the pit...
Chelsea pair set to miss out, Arsenal star may start against champions-elect
The 2020/21 Premier League season rumbles on this weekend, with some eye-catching fixtures scheduled to take place over the next four days. The action gets underway on Friday evening as Wolverhampton Wanderers go head-to-head with Leeds United at Molineux. There are four games on Saturday, with Southampton versus Chelsea kicking-off proceedings at lunchtime. Thiago Silva has definitely been ruled out of the game for the Blues, while Christian Pulisic is also doubtful with a calf injury. Burnley vs West Bromwich Albion is next on the agenda, but that will serve as a warm-up to the standout game of the day at 5.30 pm. Liverpool will be eager to bounce back to form in the Premier League after a dismal run as they face Everton at Anfield. The final match of the day sees Fulham welcome Sheffiel...
