Assistant boss David Platt claims Manchester City will not ease up in their remaining Barclays Premier League games, even if they secure second place.
City may not have defended their title but they are determined to claim the runners-up spot and win the FA Cup to put a healthier gloss on their campaign. With a six-point advantage over third-placed Chelsea, they look well on course to achieve that first aim, but Platt insists there will be no slackening off with the second task in mind.
City travel to Swansea and host West Brom before taking on Wigan in the FA Cup final at Wembley, and Platt, the first-team coach at the Etihad Stadium, said: "I have been saying for weeks that this football club is obligated to win football matches."
He added: "If we can secure second place within the next two or three games that won't put any kind of slant on our last two games, at Reading and at home against Norwich.
"We want to win football matches, that is what the players want to do. They don't like getting beaten, which they did at Tottenham last week, even though we controlled the game for large periods.
"We have no doubts. We don't need the stimulus and motivation of going for trophies to go out there and perform."
But Platt does admit that thoughts will soon start to turn towards next season. City, who snatched the title in such exhilarating fashion on the final day of last term, were unable to hit the ground running at the start of the current campaign.
That is something they intend to avoid repeating next August.
Former England international Platt said: "Maybe once we have made sure nobody can come past us we can look at some kind of strategy for next season. Football is no different to horse racing, you want to show them a racecourse because you can stand them in good stead the following year. We will have a look at that later.
"At this moment in time our focus and intensity is to make sure we amass full points, secure second position and win an FA Cup final. Once we have done that we will look at other things."
Source: PA
