Tyrone Mings reflected on the progression of Aston Villa over the past six years, after Wednesday’s Champions League last 16 win over Club Brugge.
The Villans secured their place in the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier competition with an emphatic 6-1 win over the Belgian outfit over two legs.
And, having joined at the beginning of 2019, helping the club to promotion from the Championship in his first season while on loan from Bournemouth, the defender spoke about the increased level of expectation and excitement around B6.
He said: “It’s good. Tough to put into words, because when you’re in it, it’s hard to take it in.
“It’s hard to appreciate the level that we’re now playing at, and the bar keeps raising.
“The expectations keep going up, the level of performance has to keep going up, and we have to keep being demanding.
“Championship feels a long time ago, now, but really enjoying the journey.”
With a last eight clash with Paris Saint-Germain to come in April, Mings insists there is a confidence and determination within Villa’s dressing room to ensure their journey continues.
The 32-year-old believes Unai Emery’s side are well equipped to compete with the French champions, and is relishing the challenges they will face between now and the end of the season.
“A very tough game, but we’re so excited,” he added.
“Every game that we play now comes with its own challenges.
“We’re playing in the toughest league in the world, which means that every week we have to treat teams with equal levels of respect.
“When it comes to the Champions League, we’ll go there and give a good account of ourselves.
“We’re trying to win over to legs, so we’ll go there and enjoy every moment, but we’ve got a lot of firepower and a lot of quality in our team as well, so I’m sure it’ll be a good game.”
