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Dean Smith’s utilisation of both Andre Green and Albert Adomah has proved succesful during Aston Villa’s unbeaten run, with the latter scoring three in seven.
Words by Mark Jirobe (@VillaMarkPGH)
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There has been a good bit of talk recently about Aston Villa.
This time it’s for all of the good reasons. The Midlands club has won their last six games, morale among the squad seems to be at an all-time high and every player seems to be buying in to the idea of finishing the season in a playoff position.
Yes, some players have been getting more positive press than others. That’s football, however. Tammy Abraham, Jack Grealish and John McGinn may steal all of the headlines and highlights packages most games. Generally, it is very deserved. And lately, every player in the starting eleven and the bench for Villa has been stepping up at key moments. Aston Villa supporters have been treated to individual shows of tenacity from Tyrone Mings, Glenn Whelan, Neil Taylor, Kourtney Hause and Ahmed Elmohamady as well as others.
Andre Green, a promising young winger for Aston Villa, has started the last four games of Aston Villa’s six game unbeaten run. Green was recalled from loan in January by Villa head coach Dean Smith to do exactly what he is doing now; creating chances. Green has made six key passes since returning to the side, while also claiming an assist on a John McGinn goal against Sheffield Wednesday. Aston Villa supporters love a homegrown player making his mark in the first-team, and Green has done a pretty decent job of that since returning from a short loan spell at Portsmouth. However, no one is immune to criticism, no matter how large or small.
The general knocks on Green are that he can put himself into positions where he could be easily dispossessed of the ball. Green most definitely has pace to burn and has shown an ability to dribble past a defender or two and it may even be the strongest part of his game. The maturation process is still yet to be seen by Villa supporters, as well. Green is only 20, and it may seem that he’s been in and around the first-team for a long time only because he has. He has also improved at the technical parts of football as he is athletically gifted. The Young Lion has done a very solid job helping Villa climb the table over the last six weeks, but so has the man who has been coming on the pitch to replace him in the latter stages of the game.
Albert Adomah is a fan favourite at Aston Villa and his goal in stoppage time to win the contest against Sheffield Wednesday proves it to an extreme. Adomah is always smiling, always giving his all and generally seems to be in the right position on the pitch at very critical times. Banging in three goals in his last seven appearances, Adomah is no stranger to making his presence felt. A true professional in every sense, he does not seem to mind if he is in the starting eleven or not, he just wants to help in any way he can. Last season, it would have been a real head-scratcher for Adomah to not be starting games. Now that Dean Smith is at the helm at Aston Villa, the gaffer may have a tactical approach of letting Green tire out the opposition on the right flank, before sending on Adomah to use his experience late in a contest. It would not be a crazy idea to think that’s exactly what we have been seeing as of late. The crazier part is that this very tiny detail seems to be paying off tenfold.
The spotlight is big enough to share at Villa Park during these fruitful times. Every team in the Championship has been at full attention and is now taking notice to what these Lions can do. A mere seven weeks ago, playoffs were an idea for next season for most supporters. Now, it’s looking more and more likely that Villa will make the playoffs during the current campaign if they can continue this rich vein of form.
