Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has revealed that he told his players that they can’t just wait for Jack Grealish to come back, as per his comments on Sky Sports.
Villa’s form has nosedived since Grealish suffered with an injury, and they lacked any real attacking invention against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.
Villa were downed 2-0 by Spurs, despite having the bulk of the play early on.
Unfortunately for Smith’s men, they couldn’t seem to find a way to break down Tottenham’s defence.
And Smith is disappointed with how his side has coped without Grealish, as he stressed to his other players that they needed to step up in his absence.
“They know that [they have to step up]. I’ve said to them we can’t wait for Jack to come back,” Smith admitted.
“Everybody knows how good a player Jack is, but the players that are there, it’s their opportunity and not too many of them have taken them.
“We’ve been good defensively but we’ve lacked creativity in the final third.”
Villa’s recent slump in form has not really seen them push on from their mid-table position.
At one stage it looked like the claret and blues could trouble the European spots, but a succession of games without victory has proved costly.
The good news for Villa is that Grealish’s return does not seem too far away now.
The play maker could return after the international break, which could increase Villa’s chances of success significantly.
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