OPINION
With Aston Villa looking a long way off securing the top six finish that was targeted at the start of the season, it is time for Dean Smith’s men to stand up and be counted – or face the chop.
With a win and a defeat under his belt in his opening two games, the new manager has seen the best and worst of his side in 180 minutes plus stoppage time, and despite his short reign in charge it will already be clear who has the bottle for the fight and who is going to let the side down.
One man who falls firmly into the latter category is summer signing Anwar El Ghazi, who made his first appearance under Smith in the defeat to Norwich on Tuesday night.
He was expected to make the difference after replacing the injured Albert Adomah with 40 minutes to play, but what the travelling Villa faithful were witness to was a gutless display which contributed significantly to the Villans letting their lead slip and leaving Carrow Road with nothing.
It was a woeful display and it was clear as day that the Lille loanee lacks the mental strength and courage to take a game by the scruff of its neck and turn it in his side’s favour.
Right now that is exactly what Villa need, and with that in mind it is best for the club if Smith tears up his loan contract in January and sends him back to France, for he is going to bring very little to the squad in what is set to be a tough battle from now until the end of the season.
Villa need warriors, not weaklings, and El Ghazi just has not shown any reason he is going to be able to lift his game when the going gets tough, and with things already a struggle, he is not going to shine any time soon.
Ending his time at Villa Park makes space in the squad and wage budget, and gives another the chance to be the man the club need right now.