Unai Emery expressed his ambitions for Aston Villa in continental competition.
The Villans have fallen off the pace in the Premier League, and they might drop out of the top five altogether at their current rate of results, having lost 3-1 against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
But as one of the favourites for the Europa League, they can kill two birds with a single stone.
*“Our supporters are part of us, and we can feel them when they are travelling away, each match, to support, to help us. It’s very important how we can feel them close (to) us. Villa Park is our fortress, and we are being consistent in Villa Park, thankful for our supporters, because the atmosphere always is a huge atmosphere, helping us, supporting the players, supporting each moment.*
*“And how the last matches we are feeling at home, not achieving the results we had before, can feel like an accident or can feel like something, now we are something lacking of in Villa Park.*
“And [Thursday] is the opportunity, of course, the first step forward, have to do the team, have to do ourselves, try to transmit a huge energy on the field, and play intelligent, playing smart in our idea, style, and try to dominate through it.
“If we are achieving it, getting good structure tactically on the field, defensively, offensively, and trying to play with our personality and with our skills, of course, we are going to transmit the supporters our capacity to recover our fortress at home. And the supporters must help us to get it.
*“It’s very important. It means a lot when John McGinn is in Villa Park. And the most important is how we can get our performance collectively, but some individual players as well, like John McGinn, can add a little bit something special, especially in Villa Park.*
*“He’s the captain. For the supporters as well, he’s a player, here, getting a lot of emotions during the process he’s playing for Aston Villa, and [on Thursday], hopefully, he’s one part of us, very important to connect with our supporters as well.*
*“We are playing the second leg, in the last 16 in the Europa League,. And when we arrived here three years and a half ago, it was a dream. It was something in that moment, wow, so difficult to think, or to set it, like something we were achieving it, in the period time we are, so quick.*
*“And how we are being consistent in Premier League,, being fourth, even losing the last three matches, we are fourth in the league, it was a huge dream, three years ago. We are so demanding, and sometimes, to be demanding like we are, can become us frustrated, and can become, as well, the supporters frustrated, but I prefer it.*
“And I prefer sometimes, we can feel we are not performing well, and we can get some criticism for the result we can have in some momentum, because we are setting our standards so, so high, and our objectives so, so high, but I want to be there.
“I want to be in the position we are and want to keep and to fight for the position we are now.
“But, of course, I appreciate a lot, how we are doing the way, and how we are, as well, being demanding in our way, and sometimes not achieving it, of course, we can become frustrated.
“But thinking overall, we must be so, so happy. And my ambition is not stopping, and of course, to be in Europe is something I appreciate so, so much, and for me, it’s very important here in Aston Villa to compete for Europe.
“And the league is the priority, because through it, we can achieve it. And we are knowing now, and we are watching how the difficulties for the better teams in the world, and English teams in the world to compete in Europe. I know how much difficult it is to play in the level we are.”