John McGinn has warned Aston Villa they risk being bracketed among football’s nearly men if they cannot win a trophy under Unai Emery.
When Emery took over in 2022, Villa were flirting with relegation. Yet they have qualified for Europe every season since and ran eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain extremely close in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite poor recent form, Villa remain fourth in the Premier League and will reach the Europa League last eight if they avoid defeat to Lille on Thursday.
Winning this competition would secure a spot in next season’s Champions League while also delivering the major trophy Villa fans have craved since 1996.
‘Unai Emery has a reputation for getting over the finishing line, not getting close to it,’ said Villa skipper McGinn.
‘We don’t want to be a maybe team. We don’t want to be a team where people say “Aye, they were not bad”.
John McGinn is desperate for Aston Villa to win their first major trophy since 1996
‘We want something to show for it. We know there’s expectation and that we are one of the favourites to win the competition, but it’s up to us to deliver performances and results that prove why.
‘At the end of the PSG game last season, we got a lot of plaudits but essentially we had failed in our task. That’s what the manager has driven into us.
‘At certain stages we haven’t managed ties properly. We haven’t managed these games correctly, but what we’ve learned from them we can use to our advantage and give ourselves the best chance to go one step further.’
McGinn’s return to action after nearly two months out with injury is welcome for Villa. He, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans are Villa’s best midfielders, and all three sustained significant injuries in January.
Tielemans may return after the international break but Kamara – probably Villa’s most important player – will not feature again this season. Small wonder Villa’s form has dropped off in their absence.
McGinn added: ‘When you lose three of your midfield, I think most teams in the country would struggle. I feel the expectation and pressure to remind players of what it takes to play for Aston Villa.
‘It’s a demanding club to play for. When you set standards, you are expected to meet them again. When you fall short of that, you get criticism, which is part of playing for a big club.’
