"We went through a tough period before the season stopped... this break could give us a fresh start."
Friday 10 April 2020 09:05, UK
The postponement of football has given Aston Villa the chance to reset in their fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League, insists Ahmed Elmohamady.
Speaking to Sky Sports from his home during lockdown, the Villa wing-back discussed a range of subjects, including his home training, the best opponents he's played against, and a look back at two of his most important contributions in a Villa shirt.
Elmohamady, who recently celebrated 10 years in England and is the longest-serving Arabic player in the Premier League, is seeing the positive side of the unprecedented break to football.
Villa had lost five games on the trot before football was postponed, and sit two points from safety in the Premier League table, with a game in hand and 10 remaining. Elmohamady believes the break will do Villa good, particularly as last season's Player of the Year John McGinn will have recovered from his ankle break...
"I do believe this break could give us a fresh start to play the final 10 games of the season, and give everyone a chance to reset.
"We went through a tough period before the season stopped, and this break would allow the likes of John McGinn, who is a key player for us, get back to full fitness and help us for the final 10 games.
"I do believe we can come back fresh and that this break was needed for us, ready to fight for the remaining games.
"We do have a strong team spirit in the team. It's something that has always been here and is created from the manager, staff and senior players downwards."
Elmohamady is glass half full despite the practical difficulties of lockdown, saying this is the most he has been able to see his family in recent years, while also keeping fit with the club's training programme and his own routine...
"The club have given us a training programme, I've been running and training every day, working hard. It's been good because I've been able to play with my kids and spend some time with the missus. I'll be honest, this is the most time I've spent with my family kids in a long time, and it has been great!
"I'm an international player, meaning in recent years I haven't been able to spend much time at all with the family in the summer. In 2018 we had the World Cup in Russia, and in 2019 we had the Africa Cup of Nations, which took up a good eight weeks of my time.
"So it has been really nice to spend some quality time with the kids and the missus, relaxing and enjoying quality time I would have been able to do before.
"We have needed the break and downtime, I think. I am being positive about the situation, and of course I am looking forward to returning to the games.
"Of course I miss the games and miss the ball, but I've been able to get out particularly with my son, constantly playing games, or board games with my kids to keep myself busy. I am looking forward to playing competitively again, but for the time being I am making the most of this."
Two of Villa's finest moments in recent years have been born from the right boot of Elmohamady. His wonderful assist for Anwar El Ghazi's header set Villa on their way in the Play-Off final win over Derby last May, and a similar fine delivery for fellow Egyptian Trezeguet sent them to Wembley again with a last-gasp 2-1 win over Leicester in the Carabao Cup semi-final in January.
Elmohamady described how a language trick helped for Trezeguet's winner, and says the key to his crossing ability is repetition...
"It's repetition, crossing the ball over and over again in training, I just take a load of balls and practise. It has been a strength for me and something I don't rest on and want to keep doing.
"For the play-off final goal, I said to Anwar: 'I'm going to be putting 10 or so crosses into the box, so be ready!' and he was when it mattered. It was one of the best days in my career. Of course, I prefer to play in the Premier League.
"For Trez's goal against Leicester, we talk in training about this cross, and when I take the ball on the right he says to me "far post" but in Arabic so nobody could understand. It worked!"
"Believe it or not I actually started out as a striker early on, and played there for the Egypt National Team U17s, and playing at the Olympics. I was then moved to right-back and had one of my best games there, so I'd played on the right ever since, either at right wing-back or right-back. It was by luck!
"Steve Bruce brought me to England and played me on the right wing, and I am able to play in both positions. I like to attack more than defending, and to play in attacking sides. Obviously as you get older you defend more, and I am happy doing that now."
Elmohamady has been in England for 10 years, making nearly 400 appearances for Sunderland, Hull and Villa.
In that time, playing both as a winger and full-back, the 32-year-old has come up against world-class opposition, but who was the best?
"The best is Eden Hazard. He was one of the toughest and he is so talented. He is one of the best in the world, really world-class, and going up against him was really tough because you didn't know what he was going to do, and even when he did it was difficult to stop.
"And in terms of going up against a defender, Ashley Cole was the best. He was so difficult to get past and he'd be constantly on you, and he could attack too and get in behind."
