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Aston Villa travel to Southampton this weekend with one thing on their mind: retribution.

The Saints handsomely beat Villa 3-1 at Villa Park before Christmas in the game where John McGinn was carried off just minutes in after fracturing his ankle.

Dean Smith's men are still railing from last weekend's last-gasp 3-2 defeat by Tottenham, too, and will look to take their anger out on a Southampton side who boast the worst home record in the Premier League (P13 W3 D2 L8).

Here's every word from the gaffer , who spoke about a range of topics in his media briefing - from John McGinn to team-mates rallying around Bjorn Engels to cutting out sloppy errors which continue to blight Villa's hopes of survial.

How's the team news, Tyrone Mings was out last weekend. How's he looking?

"No, he's fine. He had a touch of tonsillitis and was back training on Wednesday. It's been unfortunate. He's been a big player for us so, to miss him on Sunday, was difficult. He'll be back ready for Southampton on Saturday. He's got the qualities to be a real leader and he's still growing into that role."

(Image: 2020 Aston Villa FC)

Any other injuries to talk about?

"Keinan Davis (hamstring) will start training on Monday. He's been pushing the medical staff to get him on. John McGinn has been running on the AlterG at 85 per cent body weight. He's looking to be running on the grass come the weekend. His return will be looked at day-by-day to see how he continues his rehabilitation."

How's the mood after last weekend's last-gasp defeat?

"I think the manner of which it came about. We played ever so well, certainly the first 30, 40, 45 minutes then, to make a big mistake and to concede in the dying minutes, it's always difficult. As I said, we'd been on the winning side of games in the last minute at Villa Park before. As disappointing as it is, you move on. We can take a lot of heart from the performance from the game.

"We came in the following day and did our debrief and knew what we had to work on to improve but, certainly, the break has done us well. It showed the way we came out of the traps against Spurs, going right at a team who are top-four."

Did Bjorn Engels need an arm around him after a mistake?

"We could all see how the group got around him. We were all disappointed for him, nobody wants to see a mistake happen. The players expressed to him it's a team game and you win and lose together. There's no repercussions about Bjorn making a mistake, that happens.

The goals against Spurs take it to 50 conceded now, is that your biggest concern?

"It is a concern. Two or three months ago people were harping on about getting a new centre-forward in, getting new people in to challenge Wesley. But we all knew as a group that defensively is where we needed to tighten up.

"Players in the Premier League, the forwards are the difference. You look at Southampton who we play on Saturday. They've climbed out of trouble due to Danny Ings' goals. He's a really good finisher who we'll have to be careful of at the weekend.

"We know what we have to get better at. Unfortunately, we've made a lot of errors that have lead to goals and we've been punished by mistakes. Our focus and concentration has got better as the season has gone on, but it needs to improve for the last 13 games which will all be cup finals for us."

How can you cut them out and change that?

"We've got a lot of attack-minded players within the squad. Sometimes you have to keep working with them on defensive side without the ball, positioning, what we expect of them in certain positions. But also that focus and concentration.

"You look at the first chance they had on Sunday, Anwar El Ghazi did ever so well but played a blind ball inside and Lucas Moura intercepted but we managed to get a good tackle on. It's them lapses in concentration that can cost you at this level."

Pepe Reina big performance v Spurs. Can that experience help?

“Yes it can. As well as being a very good goalkeeper at keeping the ball out of the net, we all know what he can add with the ball at his feet as well.

“Our build-up play was excellent, but most of that is due to the way he is with his feet.

“He’s very comfortable on the ball, he’s very patient and very calm, and he gives that calmness to the rest of the team and he’s certainly improved our build-up on Sunday and since he’s been in the team."

How tough will Southampton be? Lost 8 out of 13 at home – take heart from that?

“Yes. Their head coach has said himself it’s been tough for them to play at home.

“There’s been an awful lot of pressure on them, and in the first 15 minutes of games, there’s an expectation on them and the players have not handled that as well as they could have.

(Image: Getty Images)

“But we have to concentrate on ourselves, we have to make sure we put that pressure on to Southampton and their supporters to try to them against their team.

“Their home record hasn’t been great. They seem to have prospered away from home this season and hopefully that’s something we can play on. If we can play to the capabilities we’ve got, we can be a match for anyone."

How good has Danny Ings been this season? He could potentially be the main striker for England...

“I think the quality of finishing has been outstanding. He scored a wonderful goal against us at Villa Park – we made a mistake and he scored a left-foot volley into the far corner.

“His finish against Burnley last week was a tremendous finish – he whipped it into the bottom corner.

“The quality of his strikes have been excellent. Is he England quality? That’s down to Gareth Southgate."

Key to stopping him?

“Our defenders playing well. If they play well, they keep him quiet because our defenders are all capable of keeping the top quality strikers in this league quiet.

(Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)

“But they’ve got to concentrate and focus for 90 minutes."

Last night’s result helped, West Ham losing keeping you out of the drop zone...

“To be honest, we can’t control what happens at other grounds to other teams.

“So I tend not to concentrate on the other teams around us, I concentrate on ourselves and that’s what makes Saturday’s game a big one for us.

“If we can get the right result, we claw Southampton back in with us and it gives us a target of a team to go and pass."

Is it any kind of a distraction you have the cup final the following weekend?

“It’s no distraction – it’s no bigger than Southampton at the moment. Southampton is our only attention.

“The cup final is the following week, but every game we’ve got at the moment is a cup final.

“We’ve got 13 games to play, 12 in the Premier League and every game we go into, we’ll scrap for points."

Hutton retired this week. Thoughts on him?

“He was brilliant. I’ve only got good things to say about Alan. I inherited Alan last season and I really good a good rapport with him right from the start.

“He was an unbelievable professional, a good player and probably under-rated at times as well, but on top of that, a really good character and personality around the place.

“You can see from all the messages he got from those who played with him last season at Aston Villa that he was very well respected. I certainly wish him well on his retirement."

To VAR, and changes to the offside rule could be forthcoming, what do you make to it?

"Something will be changed within the rules of VAR. It has to. It's the first season where they've had a look at it. I've come to a conclusion where I was walking my dog on Monday still thinking about VAR decisions in our game and thought, 'Why am I wasting gray matter on this?'

"My thoughts on this are insignificant. To be honest, I'm just going to let it happen. My opinions are insignificant, the opinions of the officials matter. What grates most managers is there's no consequences if officials make mistakes. They have Dermot Gallacher on Ref Watch!

"In terms of changes, there will be changes come the end of the season because the powers that be will not be happy with the way it's been ran this season.

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"The offside rule hasn't been a problem for me, simply because it's been the same for everybody. That's an objective rule. The rule is the same for everybody. Should there be more leniency? For me, yes. I liked the daylight rule that was there before. It's the same for each team, though.

"The subjective decisions are the tough ones to take. You go from on-field referee's opinion to another opinion at Stockley Park. There's just a little bit more clarity for everybody to see what's happening. Show it on the screens to show the supporters. I've been quite clear how the referees should go to the monitors to back themselves, rather than the authority being taken away and to Stockley Park."