Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has claimed that aiming for the top five in the Premier League table would be taking a 'losing mentality'.
Martinez is currently playing a key role in one of the most exciting periods of Villa' history under head coach Unai Emery.
Last season's top-four finish in England's top flight secured Champions League qualification for the first time ever, with Villa having since earned nine points from their opening four matches in the competition.
However, Villa's Premier League ambitions have taken a hit in recent weeks after accumulating just one point from matches against Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
As a result, the West Midlands outfit have entered the November international break sitting in ninth position in the standings, albeit just one point away from third.
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What has Martinez had to say?
There remains the perception that Villa are still on the up and they will hope to return to winning ways when they play host to Crystal Palace on November 23.
Nevertheless, Martinez has suggested that no-one should accept merely fighting for a top-five spot, despite already being 10 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Speaking to Telemundo Deportes, the World Cup winner said: "Top 5 or 6? That's for losers. I didn't sign up to be top 5 or 6, that's for losers.
"I want to be at the top of everything, my goal is always to win the league. Thinking about being among the seven best is like a loser."
He added: "These are moments that pass, we lost two games in a competition, we changed the eleven players in the Carabao Cup and then what happened in the Champions League, where we made six changes.
"In the end we have to give everyone minutes, we had to sell players to bring in new ones so it is a team that is in progress.
"Things are played from the first game, not only in February and March when things are defined."
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Would Martinez push for a Villa exit?
Less than three months have passed since Martinez made the decision to extend his contract at Villa until 2029.
Therefore, a transfer elsewhere is highly unlikely at this phase of Villa's development, and Martinez remains committed to taking Villa to the next level.
A total of 174 appearances have been made in all competitions since his arrival prior to the 2020-21 campaign.
Darren Plant
