Hodgson: Our use of tech’s VAR from ideal
DEAN SMITH has warned Aston Villa’s stars that their Premier League livelihoods are on the line.
Villa’s chief has painted a bleak picture if the team fails in their bid to stay among the elite, suggesting the fallout from relegation will have a major impact on his squad.
Smith says the evidence shows some of his players will be hitting a peak – and that once they disappear from the top division of English football they might
return.
Villa face a Crystal Palace side that has lost their last four games – in desperate need of their first victory themselves since a last-gasp triumph over Watford in late January.
And Smith says his players understand the price of failure.
He said: “It’s not melodramatic to say the players are playing for their Premier League futures – not at all.
“They know there will be some who drop from this league into the Championship who never get to play in the Premier League again – history proves that.
“They are more than aware of that – and the consequences – professionally, emotionally and financially will hit them hard. Believe me, they are more than aware of the consequences of being relegated.”
One player who has struggled to regain his form since football returned is Scotland international John McGinn (below).
The midfielder was taken off on the hour against Manchester United and looked to be struggling with the pace of the game. However, it has emerged he was hit with a secondary injury, following on from the fractured ankle that he suffered before Christmas, during a fixture at Villa Park against Southampton. Smith said: “Prior to lockdown we were due to play Chelsea – John was fit and would have been on the bench. “But then he started to feel a pain in his shin. We sent him for a scan and we found another stress fracture, which delayed his return by another six weeks.
“He didn’t train at all during lockdown but once we came back to small group training, he joined in.
“However, he’s been playing catch-up and it’s been difficult for him.
“I didn’t think he had his best 60 minutes against Manchester United but he did very well at Liverpool and I could see the old John McGinn.
“But it can take a while to get back up to speed. I broke my fibula when I was 21 and had a plate put in. It just takes a while to come back and build that confidence.
“You know physically the injury has been repaired but it’s the brain telling you that every time you feel a niggle that something is up.
“But he’s got through that and has played six games now in the Premier League.
“What he needs to regain now is his match sharpness and fitness.”
Smith has also scotched rumours that assistant John Terry is a contender for the vacant managerial position at Bristol City.
He said: “I can categorically say he is not in for that job. I’ve spoken to him and he’s very committed to what we are doing at Aston Villa.
“I’m very close to him and we work well together. His only intentions are to help get Aston Villa out of this position.”
ROY HODGSON reckons football is getting what it asked for when it comes to technology.
VAR was back in the spotlight last week – not least after Tottenham’s clash with Bournemouth when three potentially match-defining errors were confirmed.
Crystal Palace have had their fair share of VAR overturns this season with nine in total.
Three led to goals for the Eagles and two went their way in terms of goals disallowed.
Boss Hodgson said: “You pay your money and take your choice when it comes to technology.
“If you want technology, what we’re seeing is the same thing that we asked for. And hopefully, there will be constant reviews, constant improvements.
“But the one thing it has proven that it hasn’t stopped is, after a game, a manager saying, ‘We were robbed because the referee made the wrong decision’.
“All I do now, every time a goal is scored, is relax for a moment, wait to see whether it’s going to VAR review and what that might tell.
“That is what I have learned to do since its introduction.”
Palace face embattled Aston Villa this afternoon and, while Hodgson’s men haven’t been actively fearing the drop for a while, it wasn’t until Thursday’s night’s 0-0 draw between Bournemouth and Tottenham that they were mathematically safe.
Next season will be their eighth successive campaign in the Premier League and Hodgson praised the club for that before challenging them to take a step up.
Hodgson added: “I’m very proud of what this team has done.
“To be going into an eighth season is no mean achievement.
“But we also know that to keep that run going we are going to have to keep moving forward.”