Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has delivered an inspiring rallying call as we prepare for a decisive run-in to end the Premier League campaign.
After winning six of our last seven league outings, Villa are now in sixth place in the standings and are well positioned to compete for a European qualification spot.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Newcastle: One forced change from Emery
However, with many of our remaining fixtures coming against sides directly around us in the table, it promises to be a make-or-break run of sort, in terms of how far we can go this season, with the minimum objective being a top-half finish while anything in the top six or seven would be an incredible achievement.
The turnaround has been a joy to watch in recent months as Villa have developed an identity, style and solidity that had been missing previously, and we now look like a side moving in the right direction and capable of competing at a higher level more consistently moving forward.
That said, the opportunity of Europe has come quicker than many would perhaps have envisaged, and Emery is adamant that he wants to see us grab that chance with both hands now while it’s there, and is sounding more demanding than ever of his players to back up what they’ve done so far and to continue to improve and aim higher.
“Being in the top six is our first motivation, but it’s very difficult. Everybody here is trying to keep consistent, this is the idea,” he is quoted as saying by BirminghamLive. “It’s a process. We have a chance of the top six, of Europe, of course. It’s amazing.
“I want to make us progressively stronger and stronger. We are always focusing on adding something to improve us, with adding players, or a new mentality.
“I can’t stop, I don’t want to stop and I don’t want players relaxing. If I see it, then I am going to change something. My message to everyone is I have my experiences and I am here and so happy with (your efforts so far). But I don’t want to waste time here – I want to work and enjoy working and I want everyone else to be the same. I want everyone to be united in our commitment to get better.
“Now we are in the top six. Liverpool have played one match less and Brighton two. But we are a candidate now and really, we deserve it. We have to be very focused and in our mentality very strong to keep this possibility.
“In football everything happens so quickly and you have to be ready when you have the opportunity in front. We have that now. Two months ago we were talking about escaping from the bottom. Doing it and having the motivation to add more is amazing.
“We have to be excited and focused. Our motivation is a good energy to get this opportunity and keep it as long as possible and at the end, to get it.”
There’s no denying that Newcastle will be our toughest in some time, and a win would build serious belief and confidence within the group about what we can achieve between now and the end of the season.
Emery’s experience and know-how in these type of situations will be crucial, as will the ability of the players to continue to execute his game-plans and demands in an efficient manner as we look to continue our fine form and really solidify our position in the hunt for Europe.
It will be fascinating to see how the players deal with that pressure too as if we want to be a top side then that is something that they have to become accustomed to, and so as Emery notes above, it’s all part of the process of where we’re trying to get to and hopefully we’ll pass another important test this weekend.