Villa fell behind through an Ivan Toney goal early on, but Emiliano Buendia scored a brilliant goal soon after to secure a share of the spoils for us while also opening his account for the club.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as Villa pick up hard-fought point in Brentford draw
It’s been an inconsistent and challenging start to the Premier League season for Villa with four points taken from a possible nine, and with all the pre-season disruption and injury troubles within the squad, it hasn’t been easy for Smith or the starting XI to really get going.
With the International break now upon us, it’s hoped that can be an opportunity for those currently sidelined to get back to full health and be ready to face Chelsea on September 11, and Smith offered updates on those who missed out this weekend while also providing some insight on Ezri Konsa’s condition after he was forced off with a knee injury in the second half.
“Tyrone’s got a cracked rib,” he said, as per the video below in his post-match interview. “He had to pull out yesterday as he was just in too much pain so he couldn’t continue and didn’t want to let anyone down.” Smith added that Jacob Ramsey had to isolate yesterday in order to follow Covid-19 guidelines, while John McGinn did so earlier in the week.
“Ezri’s unfortunately had to go off. I think he’ll be alright, I haven’t spoken to the doctors yet for a diagnosis but he was walking ok.
“I really feel that Leon Bailey will be back [after international break], Ollie Watkins has made massive strides today, Bertrand Traore, John McGinn, JJ, so we’ll have a lot of bodies come back & we’ll be pleased for that.”
Time will tell what exact shape the Villa squad is in when we prepare for that trip to Chelsea, but it’s hoped that we get as close to a fully-fit group as possible so that Smith can start putting out his strongest XI consistently which in turn should have a positive impact on our performances and results moving forward.
Dean Smith's take on #AVLBRE…🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Y33FXRQyCl
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 28, 2021