Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini believes his players are destined to become Kings of Europe.
The Chilean revealed that Sheikh Mansour’s grand plan is to build a team that can compete with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich for European Honours.
City are to face Roma at the Etihad on Tuesday in a crucial encounter , they hope to improve on last season-when they were eliminated by Barcelona in the round of 16.
Pellegrini believes that it is only a matter of time before they crack Europe.
He said: “I am absolutely sure that Manchester City will eventually win the Champions League.
“Of course, it is the most important title to win, but when it happens – and it will – it will not mean that this project is finished. City don’t just want to win the Champions League once.
“The owners are aiming to become one of those clubs that believes they can win it every year. That means reaching the final or the semi-final regularly – and also winning trophies like the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup.”
City lost their opening group game in this season’s Champions League, away at Bayern – making the visit of Roma a clash they cannot afford to lose.
Pellegrini said: “We have won the title twice in three years and we were also runners-up. We have also won the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup, so in domestic competitions we are doing as well as any other team.
“But if you want to be a really big team you must be involved in all competitions – in Europe and in England.
“I don’t think City have underachieved in the Champions League. What you have seen is the normal growth of a team. But the biggest step is to be successful in the Champions League and the Premier League. That’s what clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona or Bayern Munich do.”
Pellegrini added: “It’s not the death of the club if we don’t win the Champions League this year. But I hope that this year we improve again. For me, a successful season is always about doing better than you did last year.
“Now is the time for us to take the next step.”
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