Aston Villa

Taylor looked a different player v Middlesbrough

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Image for Taylor looked a different player v Middlesbrough

OPINION

Aston Villa rose into the play-off places in the Championship with a superb 3-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday.

There was one player worthy of mention – aside from the goalscorers – and that player was left-back Neil Taylor. The 30-year-old is not usually a player who often the subject of discussion amongst the fans, but Saturday was very different.

Taylor has been suffering from a rather poor season this time around, and his performances have certainly been nothing to shout about in the slightest. In fact, he was slammed a lot more than he was praised.

However, things were vastly different against Boro on Saturday. For a change, Taylor looked tidy in possession, got forward when he needed to, and overall just looked comfortable all afternoon.

Makes a change right? His display was a far cry from what we have seen this season. He looked completely transformed, and this is no doubt good news for boss Dean Smith. Well, that is providing that he can maintain this high standard and not go off the boil all of a sudden.

The mainstay has made 25 appearances this season, but this appearance was certainly one of his best. For one of the first times in this campaign, Taylor did not look like he was struggling. This should definitely be music to the fans’ ears.

It is great to see Taylor full of confidence once again, as we all know that the talent is there. His lack of confidence under Steve Bruce at the start of the season is what ultimately led him to perform badly, but it is a whole different story now.

We are starting to witness Taylor regain his form now, and it is safe to say that he turned a few heads and many Villans fans will be thrilled that he looked the real deal against Boro.

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