Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion are set to meet in the playoff semi-finals at the end of the season.
Darren Moore has stated that it’s a ‘wonderful advert’ for the Midlands that Aston Villa and West Brom are going to meet in the playoff semi-finals at the end of the season.
The former Baggies manager lauded three of Dean Smith’s players, Jack Grealish, John McGinn, Tammy Abraham and Bournemouth loanee Tyrone Mings, who he believes has shown ‘great leadership’ skills.
Whilst Villa’s showdown with Albion isn’t confirmed, it is highly unlikely that sixth-placed Derby County or anybody else for that matter will leapfrog them in the table.
Speaking to Sky Sports News (23/04/2019 at 10:45 pm), Moore spoke about the up and coming game and what both teams have at their disposal.
“Wonderful advert for the Midlands,” Moore told Sky Sports News. “Two big clubs in the Midlands. It’s looking like that they are going to go head-to-head in the playoffs.
“Looking at Villa, they have real power, real momentum and energy. Also, my former club West Brom, there’s a steady and quietly confident group of players in there that knows what it takes. Understands what it takes. They’ll be looking forward to the game. Both teams have got an equal amount of quality. Both teams have got players that can hurt any opposition.
“An individual player [Jack Grealish] that possesses wonderful quality. He’s a talent. He’s their talisman. He seems to have a calmness and shows an understanding and a quality just when you need it. He’s their go-to player, at the moment. But outside of that, they have got McGinn, Abraham, the boy Tyrone Mings at the back, who has shown great leadership qualities”.
On Monday afternoon, Villa created history when they recorded their 10th straight win in the league after beating relegation-threatened Millwall on home soil.
Ironically enough, Moore, who was sacked by West Brom, was the last manager to inflict a defeat on Villa when they beat their Midlands rivals 2-0 at Villa Park in February.
At that time, Smith’s side were 15 points behind their neighbours and it seemed that their promotion run was well and truly over. They are now two points behind.
The Villa players have turned it around in a remarkable fashion and are now heading into the playoffs in a seriously rich vein of form.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
