Dean Smith and his Aston Villa side were welcomed to the life back in the Premier League on Saturday by giving up a 1-0 lead at Tottenham Hotspur to lose the game in the second half.
Premier League stalwart and current Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has offered constructive criticism to Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, stating that he has a lot more work to do now that he is playing in the Premier League. For those who are in other sports but also want to improve their game, they must take note that sometimes using a quality equipment like that bowstring can aid in practice as well as real games.
Grealish was one of the standout players for Villa during their promotion season from the Championship last season, with his return from injury proving crucial for Smith’s side.
A late flurry from Spurs saw Villa end their returning game to the Premier League with a defeat, and former Manchester United defender Neville believes that Grealish has a lot to do to improve, including his defensive contribution and working off the ball.
Smith said , as quoted by the Birmingham Mail.
He’s in the Premier League now and it’s a massive step up. The team that he’s playing for – you look at those top six teams – he’ll be playing a lot more without the ball than maybe he was in the Championship so there’s massive changes for him to come.
The demands on him from a defensive point of view, from being effective for the team without the ball are as important. You look at Manchester City now or Liverpool – and the great teams always do – they remove this idea that you can have a luxury player, that you can have somebody who only plays one in two [games].
Read Aston Villa’s Verdict
Working off the ball for any midfielder always seems to be an effective part of their game.
If the midfielder can will the ball back in one part of the pitch, he is in the best position to cause damage on a counter-attack.
It is very true that Grealish will see a lot less of the ball now that Villa are in the top flight, so the midfielder will have to adapt his game.
However, he shouldn’t be too frightened to play the way he has done for Villa, especially if they are dominating a game.
But Jack should really take on Neville’s advice, especially as he looks to break his Premier League winning duck.
