Aston Villa are set to travel to Stoke City in Saturday’s Championship clash and Potters midfielder Ryan Woods will be trying to stop former boss Dean Smith.
With Stoke City plotting a way to stop an in-form Aston Villa side ahead of their clash at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday, Ryan Woods could be key to Gary Rowett’s plans.
After all, gifted midfielder Woods spent the last two years working under Dean Smith at Brentford and could offer Stoke an inside track on how to beat the 47-year-old’s in-form Villa.
In quotes reported by the Stoke Sentinel, The Potters’ £6.5 million summer signing has admitted that he will be aiming to make full use of his knowledge of Smith’s tactical plans.
“Business is business on Saturday and I’ll be looking to go and take three points off him,” 24-year-old Woods said.
“I would like to give a bit of an insight into how he sets teams up, even if he hasn’t been at Villa for very long. I should know how he will try to play.
“It’s obviously different individuals and that changes things but I should be able to give a bit of an insight into how he will try to set up so hopefully that will help.”
Preparation is one thing but putting those plans into practice is a whole different kettle of fish.
Smith has brought about massive improvements to this Aston Villa side since replacing Steve Bruce in October, thrashing Derby, Birmingham and Middlesbrough with an aggregate score of 10-2 while being denied a deserved win at West Brom by a late and controversial Jay Rodriguez equaliser last Friday.
Woods can help Stoke as much as he can, but if Yannick Bolasie, Anwar El-Ghazi and Tammy Abraham continue their fearsome form, stopping Villa’s attack is easier said than done.
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