29-year-old Villa man shares what Smith told the players in team huddle at Wembley

Follow us on Google Discover

Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland was given the nod to start by Dean Smith at Wembley.

Orjan Nyland has told the Birmingham Mail that Dean Smith was very encouraging when he grouped Aston Villa’s players together after the League Cup final.

Villa were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City on Sunday, but their performance earned a lot of credit.

Villa pushed Pep Guardiola’s side all the way in the contest, and were the width of the post away from taking the game to extra-time.

Smith’s men showed the sort of fighting spirit that will be key in their relegation battle at the weekend.

Smith brought his crestfallen players together at full-time, and passionately spoke to them as they huddled together on the Wembley pitch.

And Nyland said: “He (Smith) just said the performance we did today was really good.

“He was proud of us and we could be proud as well, now it’s just about doing this every week we’ve got and to make sure we stay up in the Premier League.”

Villa, unfortunately, do not have the most appealing run-in, as they play against some of the Premier League’s most dangerous sides.

However, their performance against City has proven they have the capabilities to go toe to toe with the very best on their day.

Villa are currently stationed in 19th place in the Premier League table, two points off safety.