Tiredness not a problem - O'Neill

O'Neill's team are facing a late challenge from Arsenal for fourth spot

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is brushing off critics who claim his side are too weary to sustain a challenge for a Champions League spot.

Villa are three points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal with 10 Premier League games remaining following Wednesday's 2-0 defeat by Manchester City.

"The minute you lose a game everybody thinks you're tired," O'Neill said.

"Then we get criticised when we rested some players and didn't take them to Russia," he told BBC WM.

"We've got 10 games to go, we've got an exciting end to the season and that in itself should reinvigorate you."

O'Neill is taking the squad away for a brief break in Dubai ahead of their next game at home to Tottenham on Sunday 15 March.

We've got 10 games to go, we've got an exciting end to the season. That should reinvigorate you.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill

"We will take a couple of days because we won't have a game for the first weekend in I don't know how long," O'Neill noted.

"We are still in control of our own destiny, we can control our training, we can control the rest and we can control each of those things to a certain extent.

"So it's up to us. We'll get ourselves reinvigorated and we will go for it."

Villa are without a win in six games since the 2-0 victory at Blackburn on 7 February.

In that time they have gone out of the FA Cup to Everton, and lost over two legs to CSKA Moscow in the last 32 of the Uefa Cup.

Despite resting seven first-team regulars for the trip to Moscow, O'Neill's side have taken only one point from their next two league fixtures against Stoke and Manchester City.