Unai Emery claims trophy from Aston Villa as talkSPORT presenter backs them to fight for a title

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has issued a six-word demand to his players as the club looks to end their 28-year wait for silverware.

The Midlands side have not won a major trophy since lifting the League Cup in 1996.

But Villa They have become a different beast since Emery He took charge of moving them away from the relegation zone and into the Champions League in less than two years at the club.

Emery's team has also shown that it belongs among the European elite by winning both of its Champions League matches, one of which was a famous victory over Bayern Munich at Villa Park.

They have a chance to make it three out of three on Tuesday when they host Bologna.

But Emery, who has won the Europa League four times, knows his current form will be of no use if Villa cannot turn it into a title.

“I don't want to waste my time here, that's my message,” Emery said.

“You can't waste time here. My goal here is to maintain the same level we have now, the Champions League, and add more to be contenders for titles.

“This is the message: we love football, we love our job and we want to be successful.

“We want to achieve our goals and one of them is to play in the Champions League. It's not about playing there just because of some circumstances, I want us to stay there for a long time.

“But it's difficult. Maybe sometimes we may have some problems or struggle in our way, but you have to be resilient. We want to be strong in the idea in our mind and create a strong mentality to always break barriers.

“We can believe that, working as we are doing, we can maintain it. This is my challenge, this is my goal now.

4

“We are fourth in the Premier League, with two victories in the Champions League.

“I love it and I want it to always be winning more games than losing and trying to work hard to maintain it for a long time.

“Tomorrow I hope to play showing that we believe we can compete. I don't know how far we are going to go, but at the moment we are here, in a good position in the Premier League and the Champions League.”

In addition to their spectacular start to the Champions League, Villa under Emery have enjoyed their best start to a Premier League season since 1998.

A 3-1 win over Fulham on Saturday ensured Villa finished the weekend in fourth place and extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches.

With the Premier League only eight games this season, there are still plenty of twists and turns ahead.

4

Emery will also have to perform a delicate balancing act when it comes to his squad to ensure they are as fresh as possible for the European and domestic campaign.

However, those concerns have not stopped talkSPORT presenter Ally McCoist from boldly claiming that Villa “must be” considered a serious title contender.

“I mean Villa fans must be wondering when they get up in the morning where they are and what they are achieving and where the club is, brilliant,” McCoist said.

“They look very, very comfortable. I'm looking at their side, they still have the dilemma about Jhon Durán. McGinn on the bench, Barkley on the bench.

“It seems like they have a bit of strength now, something they need now that the European games are approaching.

4

“Can they be called title contenders? Right now, they have to be, simple as that. But there is still, as we know, a long, long way to go.”

“But the level of performance and where they are in the league, yes.”

After Tuesday's Champions League battle against Bologna, Villa host Bournemouth on Saturday as Emery looks to claim another win over fellow Basque Andoni Iraola.