Sky Sports pundit Danny Higginbotham has tipped Aston Villa to seal promotion via the playoffs this season despite agreeing somewhat with the “myth” that they cannot succeed without Jack Grealish.
The Villans are the form side in the Championship right now with eight consecutive victories, a run of results which has seen them climb into the top six to sit five points clear of seventh.
Admitting that having Grealish in their side is “massive” to their success, having seen him sit out against Bristol City, Higginbotham insisted that the Villans’ squad is the best in the division.
Asked if the club should be fighting at the top level on a consistent basis, he told Sky Sports News‘ Match Centre (18/04, 11:56): “Yep. 100 per cent. I fancy them to go up via the playoffs.
“I think they’ve got unbelievable consistency now, there was a lot of talk cause Grealish – he’s a huge player for them, he’s massive – he missed their last game and they still managed to win. I’m not saying that takes the myth away, they are better with Grealish in the team.
“They’ve got the best squad in the Championship, in my opinion. They’ve got goals all over the pitch, they’ve got attacking full backs. Mings has come in, doing wonderfully well so they’ve settled.”
Opinion
Villa would not be in the playoff positions if Grealish was not at Dean Smith’s disposal. The way he has managed to transform the side since his return from injury has been nothing short of astounding and there really is no myth about his influence – he is simply the best and most important player at Villa Park. As for the claim about Villa potentially having the best squad in the Championship, the only thing that truly matters is where you finish in the table, not how good you are on paper. Injuries have not helped Villa one bit this season but that is no excuse for how they under-performed in the first half of the campaign. Finally the fans are getting to see what their side are capable of but it is no coincidence that it has come alongside the return of Grealish to full fitness. Can they keep their hopes alive? Based on the last couple of weeks, absolutely.