Tyrone Mings might have to accept having more of a minor role at Aston Villa, but he is happy to be a part of a project hitting heights unseen for more than a decade in the Midlands.
Ahead of the new season, he has articulated the two top goals for the group as "European football again and a trophy."
‘It’s about delivering European football’
Mings moved to the Midlands from **Bournemouth**at the start of 2019 on a six month loan, helping the club to climb out of the **Championship**via the playoffs.
He has spent the next six years with the Villans and has seen the standards rise.
He is going into his seventh full campaign with clear goals.
“Definitely European football again. Our ambition has to be European football again and a trophy.”
At the start of April, Villa were in the hunt to achieve targets on three fronts.
However, they lost 3-0 to Crystal Palace in the semi-final of the **FA Cup**and bowed out of the quarter-final of the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain 5-4 on aggregate before blowing their hopes for the top five.
The 32-year-old thinks that it is possible to achieve this target through one of several routes this time.
*“There’s more than one way to go about that: winning the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup or the Europa League. There are different ways to do it, but it’s about delivering European football for the club.”*
There is great excitement ahead of the new season.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea, and **Man City**have all spent big while Newcastle United have been stifled in the market like the Villans.
The battle for Europe will be fierce, and the defender does not want it any other way.
*“It’s the toughest league in the world and the competition is always improving. Every time I look at the Premier League, the table and the teams that are in it and the squads that they have, it’s so hard.”*
‘They’ll be very intense’
He has faith that Unai Emery will manage each match smartly to steer the squad over hurdles.
Every year he has been at the club, the Basque manager has brought the side over the line in the race for Europe.
“That’s what makes it so great and why so many people tune in around the world. It’s so competitive. We don’t downplay how difficult every season is. The manager’s great at taking it one game at a time and how he prepares for games. It’s going to be a difficult season, but every season is difficult.”
First on the schedule is a trip for the Toon to Villa Park.
Newcastle have beaten Villa in three of their last four Premier League meetings by an aggregate score of 11-2.
They bounced back with a 4-1 victory at their ground in the race for Europe in April, but this weekend will be a tough challenge.
“They’re a fantastic team. They have great players and every game against them is very difficult.”
The man who has guided the Toon to their first domestic title, the Carabao Cup, in 70 years, and a place in the **Champions League**in two of the last three years, is a person whom Mings knows well.
*“Knowing Eddie Howe, they’ll be very intense, they’ll be fit – his preseasons are quite difficult.”*
Newcastle have endured a rough ordeal this summer.
Alexander Isak is reluctant to return to the team and is looking at the idea of life in Liverpool, while many attackers have turned down the interest of the club to take their talent elsewhere in England.
Yet, the defender does not underestimate their spirit.
“We have to be at our sharpest and at our best to get a result. I expect a difficult afternoon but one that we can look forward to. What a great way to start the season at home in front of our fans.”