Aston Villa fans have praised Dean Smith for remaining a true professional as he faces off against his former side on Tuesday night.
Relegation-threatened Norwich City will welcome Villa to Carrow Road, with Smith coming up against the team that he managed only one month ago.
Ahead of the game, Smith has made it clear that he isn’t emotional and he has has ‘moved on’, just like Aston Villa have, as he told his pre-match press conference.
Smith also added that he ‘stands by every word’ of his statement where he made it clear that he would have turned Villa’s form around upon certain players returning from injury.
Not only that, when Jack Grealish left, three players, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Emiliano Buendia, were deemed as his replacements, but they hardly spent enough time on the field together because of injuries, which was highlighted by Smith.
Villa fans see a similarity with the man in their dugout – Steven Gerrard – returning to Anfield at the weekend and now Smith.
Gerrard was equally bullish about his return to Liverpool and how there weren’t any sentiments – and Smith is rightfully following suit.
But it’s going to be an interesting tactical battle tonight because Smith knows the Villa players very, very well, and vice-versa.
Only midfielder John McGinn, winger Anwar El-Ghazi and back-up keeper Jed Steer weren’t first brought to the club by Smith – El Ghazi was eventually signed up on a permanent basis upon Villa’s promotion.
Although, he still knows the game of every one of the above inside-out, especially McGinn and El Ghazi’s.
Nonetheless, here is a selection of Villa fans reacting to what they are hearing from Smith:
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