Source: Team_Talk
City can be next champions - Mancini
Roberto Mancini believes Manchester City can be serious challengers for the Premier League title as early as next season.[LNB] The Blues have not won the league since 1968, while their last piece of silverware was the League Cup in 1976.[LNB]City's owners have turned the club into contenders for Champions League football, though, with massive investment over the last couple of years.[LNB]Mancini feels City now have a strong enough squad to compete for top honours once more but reckons his players just need a bit more belief to establish themselves amongst the game's elite.[LNB]"I think the most important thing I try to instil in my players is that they must always believe that they can win - we need a winning mentality at this club because eventually, it pays off," he told the club's official website.[LNB]"It doesn't happen overnight and can take maybe six or eight months to really be absorbed, but if you are prepared to work hard every game, you will always have a chance of being successful.[LNB]"It's a simple observation but very true - you can't win anything without working hard."[LNB]Mancini succeeded Mark Hughes as City boss in December, signing a three-and-a-half-year deal at Eastlands.[LNB]The Italian coach led Inter Milan to three successive league titles, while winning the Coppa Italia as manager of Inter, Fiorentina and Lazio.[LNB]And now the 45-year-old wants to deliver similar success to the long-suffering City fans.[LNB]The Blues reached their first semi-final for 29 years in this season's Carling Cup and finished fifth in the league after being in the race for fourth place all season.[LNB]And Mancini feels next term City could be in the scrap for not just a Champions League berth again but the title itself.[LNB]"I want to win a lot of trophies with this club," he said. "We did OK this season, but next season I want us to aim to win the Premier League.[LNB]"I think our fans are incredible and they have been wonderfully supportive to me since I first arrived.[LNB]"It makes me more determined than ever to bring them success - when we win our first trophy it will be a very good moment for everyone, I think."
