West Ham VS Aston Villa: The inside track on the Villains battling the drop

West Ham has finally revived their season in recent weeks and will feature in the Premier League next season, whereas Aston Villa’s fate is still on a knife-edge.

With Aston Villa fighting relegation and West Ham now definitely safe. I spoke to journalist Luke Hatfield of the Express and Star (twitter: @LHatfield_Star) to get the inside track on the Villians.

1. What are your thoughts on Aston Villa this season?

It’s certainly been an interesting season at Villa Park.

Having secured promotion with a historic winning run vaulting Dean Smith’s side into the play-offs and then enjoying the occasion of a winning Wembley trip – spirits were incredibly high heading into the top flight for fans.

Those spirits were boosted further by the money spent, although the season has definitely been a tricky one to negotiate.

Dean Smith and Christian Purslow promised fans an attacking style of play, but whilst this was certainly entertaining, it wasn’t always yielding too many points. The club did have a cup final trip to celebrate but obviously lost that to Manchester City. But the worry since Christmas has been relegation.

Recent results have got the fans believing survival can be secured though, with Dean Smith and his coaching team coming good since the restart in terms of defensive improvements, although goals have been the real issue for the side.

Ultimately, injury has really hurt the Villa side this campaign. Villa lost Wesley and Tom Heaton to season-ending injuries, whilst John McGinn also missed a massive chunk of the season too.

Villa has survival in their hands though, and whilst the season has certainly been stressful, it’s also been very entertaining for the neutral. Fans and staff alike will hope that should they stay up, that it won’t be quite as worrying next season.

2. Villa made a lot of signings last summer if they stay up should the transfer policy be re-valuated?

I think it’s almost a nailed-on certainty that Villa’s transfer policy will be evaluated once again, as any clubs should be after a season is finished.

People have been quick to label Villa alongside Fulham from last season, but in the grand scheme of things, Smith and Purslow absolutely had to rebuild the side following promotion.

That partly came down to the loanee players Villa had last season (namely Tammy Abraham and Axel Tuanzebe) which couldn’t be brought in permanently, alongside some ageing players who might not have been able to handle the rigours of the top flight.

They spent large amounts of cash, but the success of the players signed has been very debatable. The likes of Tyrone Mings, Douglas Luiz, Ezri Konsa, and Frederic Guilbert have done well, whilst others have left more to be desired. Trezeguet was one player firmly in that camp until recently, as he’s found a vein of form, scoring the goals to lift Villa out of the bottom three with just a single game to play.

What will help Villa is Manchester City’s ruling regarding FFP. If the rules are relaxed regarding spending, and it seems a precedent has been set regarding the Cityzens, others will follow suit – and Villa may fall into that bracket.

The owners have countless riches to draw upon, the only thing limiting them was rules regarding spending. If that goes out the window you could see Villa loosen their belt and do some serious business this summer – given they stay up of course.

3. How crucial has Jack Grealish been this season?

Grealish has been the glue which has essentially kept Villa competitive at times this season, and it’s no surprise that he’s now being courted by some of the biggest clubs in the country.

Having come through Villa’s academy, and truly blossoming in recent years, Grealish should be nailed on to be a part of the England Euro 2021 squad next summer.

He has essentially carried the club at times. His return to fitness last season was the trigger for Villa’s historic run to promotion, and his Premier League quality is now completely out of question, having scored massive goals and created countless chances for Villa.

He’s probably one of, if not the best, ball carriers in the league. He can pick up the ball deep in his own half and physically drag his team up the pitch. On top of that, he sees the game like few players, scores some stunning goals, and is the league’s most fouled player.

The trouble Villa will have is trying to hold onto him now. He’s a born and raised Villa fan, so that works with the club. But if they go down they have no chance of keeping him. Even if they stay up they’ll face a challenge. But should he go, Villa should be seeing upward of £60m heading their way.

4. Will Jack Grealish be sold regardless of Premier League survival?

Many fans are fully expecting to see Jack Grealish leave the club this summer, purely because he’s far too good to be dealing with relegation worries.

If Villa goes down, there’s no question whatsoever that Grealish will be sporting another kit come September. Villa would need the cash to mount a promotion challenge, and whilst he would be easily the best player in the second tier, it would be a step down too far. The club could also have FFP worries to handle, all of which would be solved by his departure for some serious cash.

If Villa survives, I imagine they’ll still face a real battle to keep him.

He is a Villa fan, and he’s the club’s skipper. There’s no doubt that these are factors which could see him stay at Villa Park, but he would almost certainly need assurances and evidence that the club would be battling much higher up the table next year to warrant staying.

You get the feeling that Villa would not hold their brightest young talent back from a dream move to a Champions League contender, he’s given the club years of service, and neither party would want a protracted saga.

Villa would certainly hold out for a fee they deem suitable, upwards of £60m for sure, whilst it’s also not in Grealish’s nature to demand a move. You’d imagine he’ll discuss his future with Dean Smith and Villa’s hierarchy and they’d go from there. If the club asked him to play another season, and promise him a move if they aren’t at least in with a shout of Europa League football, that may work out for everyone. But Villa is a long way off that kind of finish, so that seems an unlikely prospect.

Simply put, Jack Grealish is a generational talent, desperate for an England call-up, who should be playing Champions League football. He’s not doing that at the moment, although I have no doubt he’ll be in an England squad regardless of the club he plays for, if he thinks a move is the best move and Villa get a fair fee, he’ll likely be elsewhere come September.

5. Who is Aston Villa’s dangerman/men at the moment?

Grealish, as mentioned before, is a never-ending threat for opposing teams, he can change a game in a moment, wins free kicks and penalties, and is capable of scoring some serious goals.

Elsewhere, Trezeguet is a man in form, and likely to start on the right flank. He’s definitely someone who blows hot and cold, but he works incredibly hard and has scored three goals in three games now.

John McGinn hasn’t looked as he did pre-injury, but that’s to be expected with so long out injured, but if he finds form he’s a threat too. Villa’s striking ranks have left a lot to be desired, Mbwana Samatta and Keinan Davis are the strikers on offer. Neither are in good goalscoring form.

Conor Hourihane is also worth worrying about, mainly because of his set-piece threat. He can score and assist from a dead ball.

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6. What is Aston Villa’s weak spot that West Ham could exploit?

The big weak spot for Villa since the restart has been scoring goals. If the Hammers can silence Jack Grealish and concentrate at the back, Villa will struggle to score goals.

Defensively they’ve improved greatly since the restart, although with so much on the line this weekend, nerves could be a factor.

Villa essentially needs to win to ensure they’re a PL side next season, although they can simply match Watford’s and Bournemouth’s results to stay up too.

Villa have improved since the break, and the result against Arsenal will provide confidence – but should it get to the final 30 minutes level, cracks may start to show, particularly if they’re under pressure with results elsewhere against them.

7. What are your thoughts on West Ham this season? Has their recent form surprised you?

I must say, West Ham’s results at times in this relegation battle have come as a surprise. The win over Chelsea in particular.

You look at the side and you feel like there’s too much quality for them to be in the position they are, I think it’s mainly a management and ownership issue which sees them where they are.

Michail Antonio has found form at the perfect time though, and Soucek also seems like a handy player. Given their position now, it seems near impossible that they’ll go down, which I think helps Villa’s cause going into the last day.

Next season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see West Ham look to move on from David Moyes, especially if they have a slow start. I’m not sure how you can properly remedy the situation though, given the clear disdain between the fans and the owners, it almost seems like the club are perpetually a few poor results away from protests and toxicity across the fan base.

8. It was a very boring draw between the two sides earlier this season, but who do you think will come out on top this time?

You’re right, I was at Villa Park that day and it was a very drab 0-0 against West Ham.

Villa was still finding their feet in the league at that point, but probably had the better of it that evening, but didn’t do quite enough to score. The red card for Masuaku obviously helped their cause late on.

On another day, Villa could have seen Tyrone Mings and Anwar El Ghazi both sent off that day after they ended up almost going toe to toe.

I think this time, with West Ham essentially safe, the game will suit Villa, who will still be playing for something.

Coming off a huge win against Arsenal, I am backing Villa to end on a high and secure their survival.

9. Score Prediction:

2-1 to Aston Villa, with both sides playing top-flight football next season, each avoiding such a relegation scrap next time around.

So a negative outcome for the Hammers has been predicted by Luke. If West Ham does overcome villa they could finish the season as high as 15th in the Premier League table. The match will be at four o’clock on Sunday the 26th of July.