Source: Eurosport
World Cup prompted Barry City move
England midfielder Gareth Barry admits the World Cup next year was a factor in deciding to move from Aston Villa to Manchester City this summer.[LNB] The 28-year-old spent more than a decade at Villa Park but wanted to be part of the potentially exciting future at Eastlands, where he wants to challenge the traditional top four of the Barclays Premier League.[LNB] "There will be a lot of spotlight on us and the players we have," he said. "Hopefully we can challenge the top four that have dominated for so long."[LNB] He added: "I'm at a club creating a lot of headlines and it's very exciting. We just want a competitive game now and to start the season well.[LNB] "When you spend 12 years at a club it's always a big decision to leave, but hopefully my decision can be backed up by the way we play this year. [LNB] "The World Cup was in the back of my mind and I'm confident I can play a big part for Man City and go into the World Cup having hopefully qualified with a lot of confidence."[LNB] England are on the brink of qualifying for South Africa but still need to put the finishing touches to their campaign with a result against Croatia next month.[LNB] They warm up with a friendly against Holland at Amsterdam ArenA.[LNB] "You can understand why you want to play these games as we are playing a great team in Holland who have already qualified for the World Cup," Barry said. "So it's a good test and it's a great build-up for Croatia. [LNB] "We have some tough memories of the home game against them which we can hopefully put right."
