By Graham Hill
TYRONE Mings says Villa can go ‘toe to toe’ with any team in the Premier League after Saturday’s opening day defeat at Tottenham.
Villa suffered a 3-1 defeat after taking the lead through John McGinn and threatening to pull off a shock result.
But two late goals from Harry Kane sunk Villa who learned a harsh lesson after dominating large sections of the game.
And Mings told the club’s official website that the team are taking the positives out of the game.
Mings, whose performance was hailed by a number of critics, said: “We know the level now. We know we can go toe-to-toe with any team in the league.
“My overriding feeling is one of positivity.
“Ultimately we won’t play a Champions League finalist every week, but we know we can’t be defensively good for just 80 or 85 minutes. We have to be right at it for 90.
“We’ll take positives. But we need to learn quickly. It’s a relentless league. We have to get off the mark quickly. It’s unforgiving.
“But there’s no panic. We showed we are capable.”
Mings says he knows where improvements are needed and added: “We need to be better on the ball.
“We won’t go every week having big spells without possession. But we need to make sure when we have it we’re better.
“It was difficult for us scoring so early on. Tottenham came at us and we had a lead to protect.”
Villa Roar 