Striker John Carew believes Aston Villa will learn the lessons of last season's late fade-out.
The Norway international believes the Midlands men will be stronger for the experience gained in the past 12 months.
Villa looked on course for a top-four finish at the beginning of March only to be eventually overtaken by Arsenal and Everton as they finished fifth.
But Carew, who finished as Villa's top scorer with 15 goals, says the "overall goal" for Martin O'Neill's side is to challenge again for a Champions League spot.
He said: "It was a disappointment what happened at the end of the season but we have to look at what the positives were.
"We have been improving every season. There is no doubt about that.
"We had the chance for a long time to finish in that top four last season - and we created that ourselves. We should be proud of that.
"Okay, we didn't manage to keep it going - but we just have to make sure we learn from that for this season.
"The players will benefit from the experience of being in those kinds of situations if they come around again - and they will be better for it.
"Our overall goal is to get into the top four. We must remember that a few months ago we were well ahead of Arsenal so we are capable of doing it."
Villa manager Martin O'Neill is stepping up his bid to strengthen his squad in the next 10 days before the opening Barclays Premier League match with Wigan Athletic.
He has so far only signed Stewart Downing and Fabian Delph for a total of £18m.
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