da supremo： After his stellar first season in the Premier League, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith would no doubt have been expecting John McGinn to continue his fine form into the new one.
da gbg bet： The Scotland international was one of the key reasons behind why Villa ended up surviving relegation back to the Championship, registering six goal contributions in 28 league games and bringing a real energy and dynamism to the side’s midfield.
This season however, has been a completely different story. Whether it’s been a case of burnout (the 26-year-old has played every single minute in the Premier League and has been a Scotland regular too), or just taking his eyes off the prize, McGinn just hasn’t looked like his former self.
He hasn’t scored or assisted since October 4, when he played his part in Villa’s 7-2 triumph over Liverpool, and has produced some truly woeful displays in between. His performance in that 4-3 defeat to Southampton earlier this month was particularly disappointing, with McGinn showing nothing either offensively or defensively.
The £25k-a-week ace is in desperate need of just being taken out of the firing line at the moment, and be given a breather. If Smith continues to try and play him back into form like he’s been doing all season, then a) he risks making things worse, and b) he sends a very worrying message to some of the side’s fringe players who are looking to break into the team.
It’s something former Villa ace Alan Hutton admitted is causing the club problems, saying: “He’s obviously played a lot of football over the course of the season and then to have to play three international games and then come back late during the week to play another Premier League game is difficult.
“The schedule is just unbelievable at the moment and it’s only going to get worse so I do feel for them, it’s gonna get harder but it is what it is, everyone’s kind of in the same boat at the moment.”
Smith has got to make a call sooner rather than later.