Unai Emery explains why Aston Villa's players must be ready to 'eat, sleep and breathe' football over season run-in

The boss says his squad have a "responsibility" to be completely committed to the cause as they chase success on three fronts over the campaign’s final weeks.

Wednesday’s trip to Brighton is the first of two key matches this week in the race for European qualification through the Premier League, with Nottingham Forest visiting Villa Park on Saturday.

Villa also have a Champions League quarter-final with Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon and have booked a Wembley semi-final date with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup. 

Emery has previously said players must devote “70 per cent” of their lives to football and asked if that figure must now increase he laughed: “Yes! Now more, now more! Even when they are sleeping they have to sleep thinking football and wake-up thinking football. 

“Now is the moment because really, it is our responsibility, to try and be as good as possible for 90 minutes on the field. 

“To get this is to rest good, good food, prepare for the match mentally and physically arrive as strong as possible.”

Asked what that focus meant in practice, Emery replied: “It is simple. Good food, good rest, stay with family. 

“Rest mentally as well and when they are coming here, this rest they did try to focus here on everything we are working. It is simple like that. 

“For example, if they are not here and they are going to a party or to travel to London they are not focusing on football. They can focus as well at home, with family and friends, resting with good food, being ready to train every day. This is my meaning.”

Villa sit ninth in the table, two points and places behind Brighton, though both teams are firmly in the race for a top-five finish which will almost certainly be enough to secure Champions League football for next season.

Emery believes Villa are in the best shape possible to attack the final two months with the boss now having virtually a full squad to pick from after midfielder Ross Barkley returned to training.

Winger Leon Bailey is the only anticipated absentee against Brighton with a minor niggle and Emery thinks his squad now has the strength in depth lacking earlier in the season when several players were sidelined through injury.

“To have players on the bench ready to play, performing well, this is what I want, not only the starting XI,” he said.

“I told you one circumstance we had before, not performing, was because we didn’t have some players ready, through injury or maybe not physically good.

“We achieved last season through the Premier League to play Champions League but we were struggling the last two months. 

“This year I want something different, being focused 100 per cent, full energy, physically good and with the players able to play matches in a row. 

“The challenge we have now, is we have maybe 20 players ready to play and different competition and in the minutes 60 or 70 if someone is tired we have substitute players who can make a good impact. Sometimes in the first part of the season we didn’t have it.”