Manchester City players target Europa League glory
Though their main target for this campaign is to finish in the top four of the English Premier League and participate in next season’s UEFA Champions League, several Manchester City players today said that they are desperate for European glory as soon as
possible in the UEFA Europa League.
34 years without a trophy
City begin their group stage fixtures against Red Bull Salzburg and is looking to win the title to help the club end a 34-year run without a trophy.
The club reached the quarter-final of the previous incarnation of the tournament — the UEFA Cup — under former manager Mark Hughes. The defender Micah Richards said that he was looking to use that experience to his advantage in this continental campaign.
He told BBC Sport that, “Last time out, we didn't really have that much experience - there were a lot of players in the team that, like me, had not played in Europe before. I learned a lot from that season. European football is very different to Premier
League football — it is a lot slower for a start.”
The 22-year-old right-back added that the star-studded squad is desperate for silverware on all fronts this season and that they would be taking the Europa League 'seriously'.
He said that, “We want trophies. So we want to do well in every cup we are in, domestic and European. I think we can make a big impact in the Europa League. With all the new signings we have made, we have a really good chance of winning it."
Midfielder Nigel De Jong is also desperate to bring trophies to Eastlands. The Holland international told reporters that, “We expect to win something this season. Being the first one for so long, it doesn't really matter which it is. Once we have got the
first, I expect a few to quickly follow. We are in four competitions and we could win any of them.”
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