Aston Villa beat Arsenal last weekend but a moment which might not have sat right with Dean Smith was Ross Barkley lashing out when he was taken off. Andy Gray was fuming at the player following his actions.
What Gray had to say about Barkley
The reaction was not appreciated by Gray, who believes Barkley's actions could see him not start against Brighton on Saturday. He said: “He’s been given a great opportunity, [he] never got a kick at Chelsea. You can be disappointed but don’t go kicking stuff, especially when the coach sees you. It’ll be interesting to see if the coach plays him in the next game. It’ll be really interesting to see if he plays in the next game.
“It was poor, really poor. What’s he doing [before joining Villa on loan], sitting in the reserves at Chelsea doing nothing, sitting on the bench twiddling his thumbs.
“He gets a chance at a fantastic club, and I mean that, he’s gone to a brilliant club who are doing really well, to get his career back on track again, and that’s not going to help him.”
The summer loan signing has had a good campaign as he has managed 2.4 shots, two key passes and 1.5 successful dribbles per game (WhoScored). He has also scored three goals and provided one assist.
With Barkley being on loan and an outcast at Chelsea before leaving, he needs to be playing a lot better if he wants to avoid an uncertain future. If he plays well at Villa, then he could manage to get a permanent transfer to the club or even secure a place at Chelsea. The former could be ideal as the Villans are currently battling for Europe.
There is also the matter of the Euros in the summer, and poor instances like this will not get him selected in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
The stats from Saturday's game show that it was definitely not his best performance as he only managed 41 touches before he was substituted in the 77th minute. He also lost possession 12 times and lost three ground duels and two aerial duels (SofaScore).
Therefore, it is understandable to see him frustrated so Dean Smith will presumably not be too worried or annoyed that his player is showing emotion. It simply shows his passion to play.
It's a big season for Barkley
In other news: Aston Villa fans flocked to this update by Gregg Evans, find out more here.