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Dean Smith: Aston Villa itching for festive programme

Dean Smith claims Villa have been “itching” to begin a busy December programme after admitting Premier League fixture congestion could play in their favour this season.

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Saturday’s derby win at Wolves was the first five matches in 17 days for Villa, who had played just six fixtures in the previous two months.

But while the top flight fixture calendar has been criticised by some managers, Smith takes a more pragmatic view.

Quizzed about the upcoming fixture list, he said: "I'm concerned that I’ll have to manage the players appropriately, not as concerned that we knew what we were signing up for.

“We knew because of the pandemic that it would be different and this season would be congested.

“We knew what we’d signed up for and our jobs as managers and head coaches is to manage our players appropriately.

“We are itching to play. Players dream of playing in the Premier League and that is where we are. We feel we are a competitive team and it is a different season. If we can handle the fixture congestion better than others, who knows where we can finish?”

Smith, who can name all 14 players used by the club to win the league in 1981, has used fewer players than any other Premier League manager to this point of the season.

He continued: “I am totally sympathetic to the teams in Europe as there is an extra toll for them in terms of games and travelling.

“It will hurt them more than us and 13 other clubs who aren’t in Europe but we did all sign up to this.

“We have never been through a pandemic before and you are going to have to roll with it at times and do what we can to get through it.

“I need no reminding but Aston Villa won the league in 1980/81 using only 14 players.

“It won’t be done again, no, but it shows you the capacity for players to play football matches is still there. It was there then and is there now.

“I remember speaking once with (jockey) Tony McCoy and he said: ‘I have still not seen a footballer carried off a field with exhaustion yet.’”