Dean keen to avoid the Hollywood route to last-day survival
WHEN Pepe Reina says staying in the Premier League with Aston Villa compares to anything else he has achieved, it’s worth listening.
The former Liverpool and Spain keeper has a trophy cabinet jam-packed with medals, including those from the FA Cup, League Cup and Super Cup.
And that’s just from this country. When you toss into the mix successful World Cup and European Championship campaigns and honours across the continent, then it puts Villa’s game at the London Stadium into sharp perspective.
He said: “I was talking to some of the lads the other day about it. For me, if we do it, I will consider this one of the biggest successes in my career.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play for trophies – and won some things.
“But I’ve been brought in to help Villa and my team-mates remain a Premier League club.
“It’s really meaningful to me. I’ve played for titles, fought for the best.
“So, taking that decision to come here, to help Villa stay up, I knew what it meant.
“It was a big responsibility. The expectations were high. I don’t want to let the people down, it’s as simple as that.
“I think we have done the hardest job, dragging ourselves out of the relegation zone. Now it’s about defending what we have. With one more win, we will
be safe.
“So, due to the circumstances – it’s been a long six months here – it will be up there.” Yeah, but this is Pepe Reina, right? Nights of glory at Anfield, the FA Cup final penalty shootout against West Ham and so on. And Villa’s Great Escape would be up there?
He said: “I think my best night in England was the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea in 2007.
“We got to the final after beating them on penalties. It doesn’t matter it wasn’t a trophy, the atmosphere that night at Anfield was something unique that has never been repeated.
“I’ve had a decent career. I have a winning mentality. But the pressure now is that we are fighting for our lives – to save the club.
“To be honest I have, what, a couple of years left in my career?
“But for the boys, it means a hell of a lot. That status of being a Premier League player is different.
“And for the club itself, it will guide the club to the right path in the next few years. The future is at stake here.
“Every point, every victory, means a lot, because it doesn’t happen often. Or not as often as you hope. Every point needs full sweat, full fight”.
Signing Reina, 37, from AC Milan on loan – after No.1 Tom Heaton was sidelined with a knee ligament injury last Christmas – has been one of Villa boss Dean Smith’s best decisions.
He said: “Pepe’s influence has been incredibly important – the experience and knowledge that he’s got.
“I didn’t start with him against Sheffield United but he’s come back in against Liverpool and kept two clean sheets in the past five displays and been a big part in our defensive displays.
“His knowledge is second to none. After the Arsenal game, I was sitting with him at breakfast and he remarked about how important that game was to him, personally. That’s the measure of
the man.”
Villa will guarantee survival if they can match Watford’s result – unless they both lose and Bournemouth win.
If Villa beat West Ham, Watford need to better their result by two or more goals to stay in the top flight. If Villa draw, any Watford win would mean they are safe. If Villa lose, a draw for the Hornets would be enough.
Bournemouth will only stay up today if they win, plus Villa and Watford lose.
DEAN SMITH will resist giving any Al Pacino-style speech before kick-off at West Ham today – and instead concentrate on pride not coming before Aston Villa’s possible fall.
The Villans boss said he doesn’t need to dip into the motivational messages from the actor’s famous lines in movie Any Given Sunday ahead of the game that will define if his club retains its Premier League status.
Instead the final directions will be a far more simple.
He said: “What I will say will be similar to the play-off final and the League Cup final.
“Whatever it is that drives you – go and do it.
“Whatever it is that you need to draw upon, go and use it. We need it, now.
“I will be using the word ‘proud’ – that’s what playing football does.
“I see the families in the players’ lounge afterwards and I see how proud they are seeing their son, husband or brother performing at the top level.
“That will be the main point. So there won’t be any Al Pacino speeches from me.
“I like to have the players relaxed.
“They will be ready. They know what’s at stake and they’ve played enough cup football to do know what one-off games are like.”
Smith said that Villa’s backroom staff had been war-gaming ‘what if?’ scenarios throughout the week following their dramatic midweek triumph at home against Arsenal.
He said that they are ready to deploy plans according to what takes place in today’s other games involving relegation rivals Watford and Bournemouth.
He added: “First and foremost, myself and my staff will be concentrating on the game.
“We will have one of the analysts with us.
“What takes place in the other two games will have a bearing on what we do.
“Our first job is to nullify them and get the win.
“That’s what we have to do. That’s in our hands.
“In the last 15 minutes, we have had to work in some ‘what if?’ scenarios.
“My players know we are going to try and win the game.
“We might have to change our gameplan at some stage.
“We have to be ready – and we will be.”