Smith makes bold Aston Villa claim after venting officials frustration

Dean.Smith_.Villa_.TEAMtalk

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith believed his side could’ve emerged with all three points had the game continued a few more minutes.

Villa fought back from a 4-0 deficit to almost come away with a point versus Southampton.

Three unanswered second half goals weren’t enough to repair the damage done earlier in the match, however, with Southampton’s first three goals all coming via set pieces.

Aston Villa undoubtedly finished the game stronger, and Smith believed three points could have been available had his side been given a few minutes more to complete their comeback.

Smith told Sky Sports: “It’s a hard game to decipher. They have a specialist free-kick taker and he’s put one on a plate for the first goal and scored two great goals.

“We were 3-0 down at half-time, we weren’t at our best but it was a bitty half with lots of stoppages.

“The first goal is never a foul, we have to defend it better and we made poor decisions.

“Then we had to try and change the game and if it had gone on another five minutes we might have won it, never mind get a point.

“They are very compact, they press quickly and it was hard for us to get any rhythm. We got frustrated with a lot of decisions.”

MATCH REPORT: Ward-Prowse scores two free kicks as Southampton stun Aston Villa

 

Smith lauds Barkley impact

Ross Barkley

Meanwhile, Dean Smith has hailed the impact Ross Barkley has had and insists his England ambitions are better suited at Aston Villa rather than Chelsea’s bench.

Speaking yesterday, Smith said he believed that Barkley’s performances reflect his ambitions to make the England squad for the delayed Euro 2020.

“He’s someone I felt we needed.

“I look at the Premier League and you need legs in your midfield area. You’ve got to cover a lot of ground in a game. Ross does that.”

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