Aston Villa's maverick duo of Jack Grealish & John McGinn hold key to Project Restart success
Aston Villa opinion | Things may seem bleak, but AVFC have a one-two punch that most cannot match
by James Rushton, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/authors/james-rushton/Aston Villa will find themselves tested in a difficult way when they continue their Premier League campaign on the 17th of June against Sheffield United.
The facts of the matter don't paint a pretty picture either. Villa need to win that first game back - their game in hand - to stay the threat of relegation. A worsening of the health situation in the UK will bring the probable caveat of an immediate ending of the league situation should all teams have played an equal number of games.
There's no ignoring the very painful scars left on this team by the coronavirus. Villa are slightly unique in that because of their current league situation (a game in hand, where victory will take them out of the relegation zone) and also the situations that have occured. Staff and players have been left very ill by the virus. Players have voiced concerns on Government policy and support for other movements. Dean Smith's father unfortunately passed away due to the virus.
Aston Villa daily newsletter. Free. To your inbox
There's a quick and easy way to stay on top of all the Aston Villa news with our daily newsletter.
Delivered straight into your email inbox each day, the bulletins will feature the latest Villa news, views, gossip and opinion.
All you have to do is punch your email in at the top of the article - it looks just like this...
And what's more, it's absolutely free!
You can also get all the latest updates by following us on social media here Facebook and Twitter.
We also have a free app which you can download. It is always up-to-date with the latest news from across the region. Google Play Store and App Store
There is a very real impact that the disease has had on the club.
The outlook is a little brighter at least when it comes to footballing matters.
Where Premier League survival is concerned, Villa's shock and awe duo of John McGinn & Jack Grealish give them more than most teams in the bottom-half of the league
While Grealish may be the sword, slicing through - McGinn is a gauntlet that leaves other teams searching for their teeth, and both will be refreshed off of the back of an enforced break.
That break may have hurt Villa, but Grealish and McGinn stand to have benefited in some way from time off.
Certainly, the former has an incredible way of improving after time off.
To realise Grealish's most unique attribute, indulge me for a second.
As a child, I'd regularly watch this show, DragonBall Z, where fighters would face off against increasingly powerful villains. There was a story-telling problem though. The protagonists were outgunned due to their own humanity holding them back. After all, there's only so much a human body can take, right? The author, Akira Toriyama then retrofitted a new storyline into the story to ensure that certain characters had an ability to grow as a result of tiresome battles. Basically, they'd go out, get beaten up, recover, then punch the villain through a moon. It was only through injury that they grew stronger, and stronger and stronger. It was exponential, amazing and borderline impossible.
The same follows for Jack Grealish, who has succeeded in improving exponentially as a result of enforced breaks, growing to a level considered impossible previously.
No, he's not punching anyone through a solar system - but the Villans captain is some force of nature, who has bounced back time and time again.
Discipline issues and problems in 2016? No bother. Grealish turned from a flighty and talented winger into a player who looked up, scored goals and inspired others.
Tearing his kidney in 2017? No problem! Grealish's time in hospital, and the consideration of his mortality and health led him to push harder in the sport, and upon his return he was able to win games single-handedly for Villa.
Bone stress in 2018? Don't worry! Grealish's spell on the sidelines led to him returning, hitting new heights and dragging Villa to the Premier League in one of the Championship's best-ever ten game stretches of football by a single player - and team.
Fatigue and injuries in 2019? Come on. You've learned by now! After falling to injury against Manchester City - and battling concerns over his adaptation to the Premier League, the captain found new levels of success in the top tier.
This new enforced break comes on the back of despair, though. There's no silly discipline problems, injuries or suspensions that have forced Jack away from the game this time. When he comes back, it'll be because he - and others - were forced away due to a global pandemic that hit the pause button.
Grealish cannot play the game, because simply, nobody can. He's had time to rest and reflect - and the latter is key. The older version of Jack emerged earlier in lockdown, and a silly mistake was made. He's had to reflect on his role as an influencer once more, and history proves that a mature player emerges. Mistakes are still made, yes - but the man grows a little more each time.
In terms of ability, the massive difference to him now is that's he not had to rest while injured, and that he truly has something to fight for that is bigger than Villa's Premier League survival.
If there's another height for him to hit, now is the time to do so, and it really is the perfect storm.
The same follows at a macro-level for his partner-in-crime,McGinn who lives a new life in each and every football game. He could be 'quiet' for eighty minutes, score a goal, chase down the ball and win the game within injury time. McGinn finds a new burst when everyone else is broken, and his stamina knows no bounds.
To think, they called Phil Neville a terrier. They know not the meaning!
Aston Villa latest
Let it be said. Quiet for McGinn is a sonic shockwave for everyone else on the pitch, and the Scottish star will return from his ankle injury with a true mission, one that probably wasn't truly apparent when he left the pitch in agony back in December.
With Grealish and McGinn refreshed, with a realised task at hand, things might not be as glum for Villa as they look.
Truly, success for Villa going forward shouldn't just be based on league status. Are the club's players and staff healthy? Did everyone make it through this period ok? Project Restart can only be deemed a true success if that is the case league wide.
As for Villa's maverick duo, they have something to fight for, and in terms of the Villans' own Project Restart survival hopes - the competitive goal for the side - McGinn and Grealish are the biggest keys, who are rared up and ready to go.