Villa have been beaten only once in eight games in all competitions and have improved significantly in terms of their performance levels since the new year. There has also been a feelgood factor after the arrival of Darren Bent and Jean Makoun during the January transfer window. But Villa are still just three points above the bottom three in the Premier League. Manager Houllier is aware of the significance of Saturday's home game with Blackburn and concedes he will not be concerned if Villa "win ugly". He is hoping his players will be refreshed after a fortnight's break from action as they gear up for the final third of the campaign. Houllier said: "This is a vital game for us. A huge game. We definitely need a win. "We haven't been playing for 15 days and we are playing a team that will be with us in the relegation battle to the end so a win at home is very important. "The players have got the belief to get out of trouble. They have improved a lot. "Since the turn of the year, the team in terms of performances and results have done much better. "They keep working hard and progressing - but what matters now is wins, whether we play ugly or we play well. We need to win the games." Houllier added: "The league is so tight that, if you do win a game, you've got 33 points and you are probably in the top half. "The way it is, it is very tight for everyone and we have got to live with that. "If you think about it, West Brom were in the European positions at one stage. "Apart from the big guns, you have a massive group of teams together and, on their day, every team can beat every team. Wolves beat Manchester United, for example." Houllier has indicated he would like to bring in some young foreign talent to supplement the crop of home-grown players at his disposal at Villa. He said: "Football has become open to Europe and open to the world because you have a lot of Brazilians in the Champions League over the last six or seven seasons. "You need to know now that all clubs buy players from all over the world. "I believe we were one of the last clubs to put out 11 English players in one game. "But we've got to understand there is not a Europeanisation but a globalisation of football now. "I think this won't stop. The main thing is to be able to get some young players from other countries and bring them here early because they would get the feeling of the club. "We have a few players, one from Austria and one from Hungary, and I think those players are very much part of the Villa youth team."
