John McGinn says that Aston Villa -Baas Unai Emery has told his players not to believe what he says in public.
The Spaniard told his team about his ambitions for the rest of the season before their draw in the last 16 of the Champions League.
In the immediate aftermath of Villa's victory over Cardiff in the FA Cup, Emery said: “We are not considered favorites to win this trophy. We are contenders but not favorites. “
The boss of the club maintained that attitude last night and said that he was not looking at what could be achieved in the distance, only at their two -legged affair against Club Brugge.
But McGinn said that Villa's boss had clarified his thoughts to them before they went to Belgium. The Scotland International said: “At the weekend he clarified what he means.
“If he says we are not contenders, he does not mean favorites. Of course we are in these competitions – and we are contenders to win every competition in which we find ourselves. In certain we are more depicted than others. We go towards the end of the season and it is brilliant that we have so much to look forward to.
“We have the chance to make some history, but there is still a long, long way to go. And we don't listen too much to what a manager has to say in his press conferences because we know that he could say things that he regrets. “
McGinn said there was the touch of 'revenge' in the air after Villa went to the same opponents with 1-0 four months ago in controversial circumstances.
Defender Tyrone Mings was punished after a bizarre handball incident when the club suffered its first reversal in the Champions League this season.
McGinn added: “The exciting thing for us is that we know that we have not yet reached a top shape. We have much more to give. There has been a great inconsistency about us this season, so hopefully we will start clicking – and we can do something special. “
Comments