Unai Emery throws down the gauntlet to his Aston Villa players to prove they are title contenders - as he admits he doubted their 'mentality' after draw with Ipswich

Unai Emery has challenged Aston Villa to beryllium they are existent winners by keeping gait pinch nan Premier League title contenders this weekend.

Villa are 4 points down convention leaders Liverpool aft a good commencement to nan play some astatine location and successful Europe. Their triumph complete Bologna connected Tuesday near Villa apical of nan redesigned Champions League array and optimism among supporters is sky-high up of Saturday’s conflict pinch Bournemouth astatine Villa Park.

Yet Emery was truthful disturbed by Villa’s cognition successful their 2-2 tie pinch Ipswich connected September 29 that he publication nan riot enactment to nan players and near them successful nary uncertainty that he will not tolerate a repeat.

‘The biggest teams and players attack each crippled to triumph it,’ said Emery. ‘When your ain squad does nan same, that’s erstwhile you tin consciousness stronger.

‘You person to request nan players amended their mentality each nan time. We person immoderate examples here. At Ipswich, I had immoderate doubts astir whether we showed nan mentality I want.

‘I person talked to nan players astir this a batch and I don’t want to repetition it. We tin win, tie aliases suffer but we person to play to triumph and show really quiet we are.’

Emery is approaching his two-year day arsenic Villa leader – a singular stint successful which he has transformed nan club. Struggling erstwhile he took complete from Steven Gerrard, Emery has turned Villa into 1 of nan champion sides successful nan country.

He added: ‘Hopefully we will support improving. My first request was to play successful Europe again, which we achieved. My 2nd was to triumph a trophy.’