Final fight is under way for Villa squad
Tim Sherwood believes the carrot of an FA Cup final will prove motivation rather than a distraction for Villa's players after yesterday's stunning win over Liverpool at Wembley.
The claret and blues reached only their second final in 58 years after a scintillating performance, with goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph earning them a 2-1 victory.
And Sherwood has promised the prospect of a May 30 date with Arsenal will drive his squad on as they look to preserve their Premier League status in the meantime.
"The players will only get here if they play well in the games remaining," said Sherwood, who confirmed defender Nathan Baker is out for the season after suffering a recurrence of his knee injury. "They are fighting for their places.
"It is not too big a squad and to be honest we lost Baker today and Ciaran Clark last week.
"We have two fit centre-backs who have done very well but they are the only two we are going with between now and the end of the season."
Sherwood reserved particular praise for teenager Jack Grealish, after he helped inspire Villa to a famous win under the Wembley Arch.
The 19-year-old had a hand in both goals as Villa came from behind to beat the Reds.
"The bigger the stage, the better he plays," said Sherwood.
And the manager also credited Villa's travelling army of 32,000 fans with dragging them back into the game, after they had fallen behind to Philippe Coutinho's 30th minute opener.
"It was a great occasion for the football club," said Sherwood.
"They were magnificent especially when we went behind."
