Unai Emery: Aston Villa can dream - but must also remain realistic

Villa host Chelsea on Saturday aiming to go nine points clear in fourth place, while they are also targeting a first trophy in more than 28 years through the Europa Conference League.

Emery this week extended his contract through to 2027, with Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris expressing a desire to return Villa to “historic levels of greatness”.

The head coach is also fiercely ambitious but aware of how tough it will be to repeat the success of this season, let alone challenge the three teams above them in the Premier League.

Emery referenced how financial fair play rules mean Villa must be “intelligent” in their transfer business.

He said: “There is still a lot of work to do. If we can do it, we can get the consequences.

“Maybe it is to be like we are now, fourth, to try and face the teams in front – Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City.

“But it is very, very difficult. Of course, I can dream and I want to dream about being with them. But it is difficult. The level of Liverpool is amazing.

“Getting better after the season we have had now is difficult but I want to continue getting better. That is the challenge, to get better.

“Nassef and Wes (Villa’s owners) are ambitious and realistic because we don’t have the possibility to spend a lot of money because of financial fair play, but always are trying to be intelligent and positive.”

After playing down their chances for most of the season, Emery has finally accepted Villa are in the race for Champions League football.

But he does not think qualification alone will make them part of the Premier League’s elite.

He said: “To really confirm it, we will need time.

“We have here the possibility to be fifth or fourth but even getting the Champions League position, we have to confirm it in the next month, the next year, maybe even the next two years.

“To keep it for a long time is the confirmation we can make.

“There is one example in my career. When the owners were signing me and speaking about the project, telling me it was two years, three years.

“No, the project is the next match, to win. We can only consolidate the project if we are winning and really getting the short objective.

“We can speak about the project for three years ahead. But it is not realistic for me.

“As a coach, the project is the process you have in front and how you are adding or getting objectives in a short time.

“The project here was three years and a half but we needed to consolidate it each month, being trusting in our process and our way.”