John McGinn: Aston Villa can't be remembered as a 'maybe team'
John McGinn has challenged Villa to prove they are not a “maybe team” as they try to take another step toward ending their 30-year trophy drought.
Villa host Lille on Thursday night in the second leg of a Europa League last-16 tie with the chance to reach the quarter-final of a European competition for the third straight season.
Unai Emery’s men reached the semi-finals of the Conference League two years ago before being knocked out by Olympiacos.
Last season they went out of the Champions League to eventual winners, Paris Saint-Germain, at the quarter-final stage.
With Villa also fighting to preserve a top-five finish in this season’s Premier League, McGinn revealed Emery - a four-time Europa League winner - has stressed to his players the importance of getting over the line.
Next week marks the 30th anniversary of Villa’s last major trophy win and McGinn said: “We had that feeling at the end of the PSG game.
“I know we got a lot of plaudits over the two legs, but essentially, we had failed in our task.
“And that's what the manager has driven into us. He's a manager who has a reputation of not getting close to the finish line, he's got a reputation of getting over the finish line.
“We don't want to be a maybe team. We don't want to be a team like ‘Aye, they were not bad’. We want something to show for it.
“And we know we've got an expectation and are one of the favourites to win the competition. “We know that, but it's up to us to deliver performances and results that prove why we're one of the favourites because of how we've played over the last few years, domestically and in Europe.”
Villa hold a 1-0 advantage heading into the second leg, courtesy of Ollie Watkins’ goal in France.
But on Wednesday both McGinn and Emery were at pains to point out the tie is far from over. Lille came back from a first leg deficit to beat Red Star Belgrade in the play-off round.
McGinn, meanwhile, conceded Villa had previously been guilty of “looking past” rounds.
A quarter-final against either Bologna or Roma awaits the winner but the skipper declared the only focus is on Lille.
He said: “I think in 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 possible chance to go one step further.”
McGinn continued: “What we've realised over the years is it’s so, so difficult to get through each round.
“I think when we went into the Olympiacos tie over two legs, most people outside the club would think we would go through that tie, but the manager drilled in how difficult the last stage of competitions get.
“You need to manage each game as it comes. I don't think last Thursday for us was pretty but we managed it really well.
“It was a difficult atmosphere, and Lille had chances, but what we did was we approached that game a lot more maturely than we probably previously have faced in first legs.
“So we are learning, we understand the magnitude of the games, but I think the greatest urgency for us is to get into the quarter-final and then manage it from there.”
