The Chalkboard: Aston Villa’s Taylor and Elmohamady will be vital in the play-offs
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The time is now for Aston Villa. After a long arduous season it now all boils down to the play-offs.
The Villans faltered under Steve Bruce but have thrived with Dean Smith at the helm, and they now find themselves just three matches away from a possible Premier League reunion.
Smith’s men come into these matches with arguably the best momentum, having recently won ten games on the spin. Despite their impressive run, though, recent records against West Brom suggest they could struggle in the semi-final.
This season the club drew 2-2 and lost 2-0 to Albion, whilst they also failed to beat them the last time the pair were in the Premier League.
However, Villa have a different threat now which is capable of helping them achieve a first victory over the Baggies since 2015.
On the chalkboard
The likes of Jack Grealish and John McGinn will likely prove pivotal for Villa in their play-off campaign but it is the full-backs, Ahmed Elmohamady and Neil Taylor, who can also be game-changers.
In the defeat against West Brom at Villa Park back in February, Elmohamady featured as a right midfielder whilst Taylor didn’t appear whatsoever. The full-backs on the day were Alan Hutton and Kortney Hause, but they weren’t exactly anything to rave about.
Since then, however, Taylor and Elmohamady have been exceptional in defence for Villa. They’ve developed remarkable consistency and should they start as expected on Saturday, will be as important as ever.
With them in the side, the Midlands club have looked far more solid, whilst their attacking play from that area of the pitch has also improved significantly.
With West Brom’s wing-backs pushing forward there could be space in behind for the Villa players to exploit this weekend. This represents another added benefit of Smith’s own wide players.
Elmohamady has made nine key passes across his previous three matches and if he and whoever is selected at right wing can double up on Kieran Gibbs, Villa will have a much better chance of going through. A similar effect can also be had on the left with Taylor.
Hutton rarely provides a creative threat but the added tenacity of his Egyptian teammate can prove highly beneficial.
Given their form and the more settled nature of Smith’s side since that loss, Villa have their best chance of beating West Brom all season.