All title talk is BANNED says John as Villa fly under radar

JOHN McGinn says talk of entering the Premier League title race has been banned at Bodymoor Heath, insisting Aston Villa play their best when they fly under the radar.

- By JOHN TOWNLEY

Unai Emery’s side earned their 10th successive win in all competitions last weekend, beating Manchester United 2-1, and will travel to Chelsea on Saturday in search of an eighth consecutive league victory.

The last time Villa won more than seven topflight matches in a row was between October and December 1910, when they recorded nine straight victories.

Currently three points behind league leaders Arsenal, Villa will return to the capital on December 30 to face Arsenal in what will be a crucial week for Emery’s side.

McGinn, however, is not entertaining any title-race talk, though he admits this Villa team is one of the best he has been part of in his career.

“I think it was two or three years ago when we were a win away from finishing for Christmas at the top of the table, but we drew to Sheffield United. We had just beaten Arsenal and Man City too,” he recalled to Sky Sports.

“This season has given me so much pleasure because we were written off, sort of down and out. We probably had some doubts ourselves, but the way we have come back from it and gone on this run has been amazing.