Unai Emery wants Aston Villa to “break barriers” and become regular contenders for silverware as they prepare to take on Bologna in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Emery has guided Aston Villa from the bottom half of the Premier League to the Champions League since taking over as head coach just two years ago.
They have made their best start to a league season since 1998 and have won both of their Champions League games so far, including a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.
“I don’t want to waste my time here, that is my message,” said the Aston Villa boss.
“We want to achieve the objectives and one of them is to play in the Champions League. It is not about playing there only because of some circumstances – I want us to stay there for a long time.
“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.”
Defender Matty Cash says Aston Villa “have not got a ceiling” as they seek a first major honour since the 1996 EFL Cup.
“In the last four years since I joined, the club has just gone through the roof,” said Cash, who could make his Champions League debut against Bologna after missing the first two games through injury. “I think it can go all the way to the top.”
Ezri Konsa is pushing for a recall after he was a substitute at Fulham on Saturday due to a minor injury. John McGinn is also in contention after coming off the bench at Craven Cottage following his return to fitness.
