Curtis Davies

Curtis Davies has revealed how Aston Villa are trying to take the sunshine route to the Champions League.

But Davies, in line for an England call-up, has warned that anyone thinking they had jetted off to Spain for a mid-season siesta, has got it all wrong.

Maverick boss Martin O’Neill has been working his men harder than ever, in a bid to drive his small squad over the line for a Champions League spot.

There’s just 12 games left and Davis believes the off-the-cuff trip to Marbella should prove just the ticket for one last push.

Davies, called into Fabio Capello’s first England squad, revealed: “This is no jolly-up. We have been working hard.

“In fact, we have done a bit more than we do back home. It’s certainly no holiday. We are taking this European push seriously.”

Our main aim is to secure a UEFA Cup place, but as long as we are in with a chance of fourth then we’ll keep going for it Curtis Davies

O’Neill has been at pains to distance himself from chasing down fourth spot, saying Liverpool as five-times champions of Europe could be right to consider it theirs by rights.

But Davies added: “Our main aim is to secure a UEFA Cup place, but as long as we are in with a chance of fourth then we’ll keep going for it.

“It would be a massive boost for the club if we could get Champions League football but that’s a big ask.

“We are looking at the table now and looking to Europe. If we didn’t do that then we would have no ambition worth speaking of.’’

But he believes that O’Neill’s Sangria Special will turn out to be a winter winner, adding: “Being together here 24/7 means all the players are getting to know each other better.

“I’m getting to know other players’ bad habits.

“We get on well as a group and that has an impact on performances because you want to do well for each other.”

O’Neill is a firm believer in re-charging the batteries, but said: “We did it last year and it worked for us so there’s a little bit of superstition to doing it again.

“Saying that, all great plans can go astray. If we come back and lose the next seven games, people will be telling me it was a hopeless idea!”