Tyrone Mings was “furious” following Dean Smith’s decision to drop him from the starting XI ahead of Aston Villa’s Premier League clash with West Ham United on Sunday, as reported by The Athletic.
Right now, it seems Smith is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.
Damned if he keeps Mings in the line-up, damned if he attempts to shield Villa’s underperforming skipper from the spotlight.
The Midlands giants have been defensively dreadful in recent weeks and, with Mings at the heart of their back line, conceded three goals apiece against Arsenal and rivals Wolves.
They were pretty dreadful without him too, with the captain’s second-half introduction against high-flying West Ham not enough to stem the tide.
What next for Aston Villa and Tyrone Mings?
West Ham cruised to a 4-1 win at Villa Park – a fourth defeat in a row for the men from Bodymoor Heath.
Two of West Ham’s goals came after Mings was brought on in an attempt to solidify a back line that continues to look as solid as underset blancmange, undermined by the sending off of Ezri Konsa in the 50th minute.
Mings has started every Premier League game he has been available for since a 4-1 defeat to Leicester City in December 2019.
Dropping him for the first time in two years was quite the statement then by Smith, a desperate roll of the dice from an increasingly under-pressure manager.
But if Smith was hoping for two sixes, all he got was snake eyes and renewed speculation over his future.
According to the Daily Mail, Villa have sounded out Paulo Fonseca – still available after Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United turned their attentions elsewhere – as a potential replacement for the man who took them up to the Premier League and kept them there too.
According to The Athletic, Mings was “furious” with Smith’s decision to drop him to the bench against West Ham.
Let’s hope the protagonists kiss and make up. Smith needs all the support he can get right now and the last thing he needs is to create an untimely rift with one of the loudest voices in Aston Villa’s dressing room.
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