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Roberto Mancini believes Manchester City’s FA Cup triumph can be the launchpad for an assault on next season’s English Premier League title.
City ended their title drought on Saturday by downing Stoke City 1-0 in the Cup final at Wembley to clinch a major trophy for the first time since 1976.
Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure rifled in a shot on 74 minutes to settle a one-sided encounter.
A shot from City’s Mario Balotelli deflected off Stoke City’s Marc Wilson and fell kindly to the former Barcelona midfielder Toure who blasted an unstoppable first-time shot past keeper Thomas Sorensen.
The win sealed a fine week for City, who had clinched qualification for next season’s Champions League on Tuesday by beating Tottenham.
The victory was the first tangible return City’s owners have been able to enjoy since their 2008 takeover and the subsequent lavish spending on players which has topped STG300 million ($A457.91 million) to date.
But while City’s players and fans celebrated, Mancini was already looking to future challenges, with next season’s Premier League at the top of the list.
“We want to try for the title next year,” Mancini said.
“I think this year it was important to start to win. In one week we qualified for the Champions League which was our first target. And we won the FA Cup.
“I think we improved a lot this season, like a team. But I think we need to improve more. We need another step. But it was important that we start to win, because once you start to win, it gets easier.”
Mancini believes that City might even have challenged for the title this season had it not been for a fixture congestion which saw them autumn away towards the end of the season.
“For two months, we were close to the top. We stayed on the top for four or five weeks. We were very close with Chelsea, United and Arsenal.
“But we suffered in March when we were playing every three days and we had injuries to players. This is impossible. We lost important points for the top. Probably we could have fought for the top.”
Most observers expect City – whose qualification for next season’s Champions League now makes them a vastly more attractive proposition for elite talent – to spend big once again this summer.
The club has already been linked to a mega-money move for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, despite the Spanish midfielder’s insistence that he would never join another English club if he leaves.
Mancini was delighted to see midfielder Yaya Toure repay a slice of his STG24 million ($A36.63 million) transfer fee and annual wages which are reportedly STG10 million ($A15.26 million), making him the highest paid player in English football.
Just as he had done in the semi-final victory over Manchester United last month, Toure scored the only goal when he rifled in the winner on 74 minutes.
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