Dean Smith planning to put Aston Villa on the front foot at Newcastle
Dean Smith claims Villa are ready to go on the offensive as they aim to kickstart their Premier League survival bid at Newcastle on Wednesday.
A return of just one point from their first two matches since the season resumed has left Villa rooted in the relegation zone, but Smith insists confidence among his players remains high.
But with just eight matches now remaining, the boss admits results are needed if they are to fight their way out of trouble.
Smith said: “We feel we’re a harder team to beat now and the players’ confidence levels haven’t dropped. But we certainly need wins if we’re going to stay in the league and we’re looking at the games ahead now.
“Newcastle and then Wolves at home on Saturday are two where we have to go all out to get a win in one of those two games, or both.”
Smith, who expressed some surprise at the criticism of Villa’s defensive approach in Sunday’s 2-1 home defeat to Chelsea, expects a very different game against the Magpies, who resumed their season with a 3-0 win over Sheffield United.
“It’s no disrespect to Newcastle but they haven’t got the quality Chelsea have got, we haven’t either,” said Smith.
“That’s just the way the Premier League is set up. There’s six clubs who are massive in this league who can spend the amount they can spend. It’ll be a different game against Newcastle, that’s for sure.
“If we look at the stats from the season then yes, we should go and try and dominate.
“But we’ve seen Man City go there, dominate the ball and lose. We have to be more clinical with our possession but our defending has to be good as well. It will be a tough game for us.”
