OPINION
West Bromwich Albion will feel quietly confident about overcoming Aston Villa in their upcoming play-off clashes based on Gareth Barry’s verdict.
The current West Brom midfielder and former Aston Villa star was asked how he felt about the upcoming clash between the pair and revealed he thought the Baggies’ experience would see them be victorious.
“Yeah they’ve been very good for a long period of time but if you ask me now, there’s not much in it,” said Barry on Sky Sports News (Monday May 6th, 18:41).
“It’ll be two close games and both games in the league were close, both teams have a lot of quality but West Brom have that bit of experience and I’m going to back us to get the job done.”
Barry may have admitted that he thinks it will be a close encounter between Villa and the Baggies but his overall verdict will surely see his current side fancy their chances.
The Villans have been in excellent form ahead of the play-offs, baring their last-day loss to Norwich City, but the form book gets thrown out the window as soon as the play-offs start.
The play-offs are a glorified lottery and more often than not, they come down to which side can hold their nerve.
This means that having experienced players to call upon is vital.
Players who have been there seen it all are more likely not to let the pressure get to them.
While Aston Villa do have some experience in their squad, especially after reaching the play-off final last season, the Baggies’ current squad is dripping in experienced players who can keep everyone calm.
The likes of Dwight Gayle, Jay Rodriguez, Craig Dawson, Chris Brunt, Stefan Johansen and Kieran Gibbs are a wealth of experience that can carry WBA over the finish line at the expense of Villa.
So with this in mind, the Baggies will be feeling quietly confident after Barry’s verdict on the clash against Aston Villa as you feel they do have an edge over their Championship rivals.