Dean Smith has hailed Aston Villa’s strength in depth and admits it’s becoming increasingly hard for him to leave players out of his side. Villa spent big in the summer following their return to the Premier League via the play-offs at the end of last season in an attempt to be competitive in the Premier League.
Smith’s squad was bolstered significantly by the likes of Wesley, Diogo Jota, Trezeguet and Tyrone Mings, who all joined on permanent deals, while Douglas Luiz, Matt Targett and Ezri Konsa were among the other arrivals at Villa Park.
So far, the Midlanders are holding their own in the top flight as they sit 12th after nine games with 11 points on the board and completed back-to-back wins on Saturday when beating Brighton to follow up the victory over Norwich before the international break.
Smith knows he has plenty of quality in his ranks and is pleased he has players on the bench who can make an impact when required in games.
He told Aston Villa’s TV channel: “The good thing with having a good competitive squad is you can look over your shoulder now and know you can change the game. That’s what the players are doing. Douglas Luiz came off the bench and scored against Norwich. Trezeguet made a real impact when he came on against Brighton – and Keinan Davis, too.”
Smith admits having to leave players out of his starting XI and sometimes out of the matchday squad altogether is difficult, although he will be well aware having a big pool of players to choose from is a necessity in the Premier League and creating competition for places is always desirable.
He added: “We have a lot of good players in the squad now. The hardest thing for me now is leaving players out of the squad.”
Villa’s hopes of continuing their recent winning form will be severely tested when they go to reigning champions Manchester City on Saturday.
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