Postponement has clear upside for Aston Villa after Ross Barkley injury

Add as preferred source on Google

Despite all of the controversy following their defeat on Monday night, it did appear that plenty of Aston Villa fans felt that not having Ross Barkley in their side was a key reason for the result.

Barkley has made a fantastic start to life on loan at Villa Park. And his absence has hurt Dean Smith’s men.

Since coming off in the fifth minute of their defeat to Brighton last month, Villa have not led at any stage in the following 175 minutes. In fact, they have only been level for 39 of those minutes.

Of course, that is not solely down to Barkley’s injury. But you cannot argue with those who feel that Villa are a much more dangerous team with the Chelsea loanee in the side.

And that is why there is one clear upside to the Villans having their next game postponed.

Villa’s clash with Newcastle will be played at a later date after Friday’s meeting was called off.

Surely, it will be some time before the fixture does take place. The clubs already have congested fixture lists over the coming weeks given the time of year.

So that presumably means that Barkley – who earns £110,000-a-week, according to The Telegraph – will actually be back one game sooner than expected.

And after losing four of their last five, that will arguably be exactly the kind of boost Smith’s men will gladly accept.