David Artell wants his players to raise their levels after suffering back-to-back home defeats to Port Vale and Manchester City U-21s.

David Artell has challenged his Crewe Alexandra players to aim high in their football careers and not settle for mediocre.

The Alex boss is aiming to raise standards and be better in possession over 90 minutes.

Crewe Alexandra were beaten 4-1 by Manchester City’s Under-21’s in the Checkatrade Trophy last night and Artell is looking for another improvement at Notts County on Saturday.

Artell told the club’s official website: “Having high standards is the name of the game and that is if you are the manager or a player. It has got to be.

“There is no point settling for mediocre in football or in life. You have to aim high and focus on achieving it. That comes through practice, dedication, learning and living the game. That is the only way, if you want to become a top player.

He added: “We looked at the possession stats from the Port Vale game on Saturday and we will go over the stats from this game (Manchester City U-21s) as well to see where we can improve in possession because we need to be better when we have the ball.”