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The likes of Henri Lansbury and Anwar El Ghazi will get some much needed game time in a behind closed doors friendly tomorrow whilst much of the squad is away for the international break.
Words by Harry Trend (@HazaTrand)
Aston Villa have confirmed that Henri Lansbury, James Bree and Anwar El Ghazi are among those to be involved in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Bodymoor Heath tomorrow.
With 12 senior players on international duty, it’ll be a good opportunity for some of the fringe players to get some much-needed game time.
Dean Smith’s starting eleven is beginning to take shape, with the side that beat Derby 3-0 last Saturday unlikely to be heavily rotated for the Second City Derby on November 24th. Therefore, the players involved must take this an opportunity to force their way into first-team plans.
However, Smith attributed some of the success at Pride Park to his outcast players: “The performance at Derby on Saturday is not just the 11 who played or the subs who came on, it is from training every day and the whole squad.”
“The likes of Henri, James Bree and Anwar have upped the training sessions and that is what makes the squad better.”
It’s likely that the team will be a mixture of players old and young. Mile Jedinak is another who has seen little game time this season, along James Collins, who has been training with the squad.
This is just another example of Smith’s attention to detail, and a stark contrast to Steve Bruce, who reportedly stayed at his house in Portugal during one international break.
We will attempt to provide further information if any comes to light.
