Aston Villa coaches forced to adapt

Villa’s squad could be back at Bodymoor Heath in the next fortnight if the Premier League’s plan to restart the season gets the go-ahead.

League-wide protocols would require players to arrive at the training ground in kit and wear masks at all times.

Smith, who has been in regular contact with players during the lockdown, revealed he and his staff had discussed what kind of training sessions might be possible.

He said: “I’ve been having regular chats with the coaching staff about how we adapt to the new situation, what it might look like. But it’s also given me time to review and reflect on what we’ve done so far.

“I’ve managed to do a video chat with each individual player and review their season so far, how they think they’ve done and how I think they’ve done, and we’re having regular group chats now.

“We have a once-a-week chat with the players, talking about little things and they watch a couple of games and review back to us. We’ve had to be a little bit innovative in what we do but the compliance of the players has been excellent.”

Smith has previously described any Premier League restart as being like a second top-flight season for Villa, who were promoted through the play-offs 12 months ago.

The boss believes his players, many of whom were experiencing their first top-flight campaign, should benefit from the unexpected break caused by the coronavirus.

He added: “Nobody wants to have this pandemic but it has given us the opportunity to review where we’re at and reflect on what we’ve done so far.

“I’d never get a chance during the season to have a chat with my players for an hour, just on their season so far, what they need to improve on, how I feel they’ve done. Or to go back and watch every single game.

“The season is fast-paced, you finish one game and you’re already planning for the next game and this gives us that chance to just pause, reset, reflect and hopefully move forward and be better for it.”