(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Manchester city?s next step is to win the champions league says midfielder samir nasri samir nasri of manchester city dribbles the ball between al ain’s mohammed salem and ahmed ibrahim during their friendly match at the mohammed bin zayed stadium in abu dhabi. — afp
manchester city midfielder samir nasri said that becoming the best club in europe will be their next target.
the newly-crowned english premier league champions were in the uae for a whistle-stop tour after winning the title and showcased the trophies won in league cup and the epl. they even played a friendly against record uae league champions al ain at the hazza bin zayed stadium in al ain on thursday night.
after seeing off al ain with a 3-0 win the frenchman said that the next step would be for the manuel pellegrini managed side to win the uefa champions league.
“when you play for manchester city you would like to win so many trophies. i would like to win the uefa champions league and i think that’s what should be our next step. to be the best club in europe would be really great” nasri said after the game on thursday night.
manchester city who have become a force to reckon with after abu dhabi’s takeover of the club have not had a successful run in the european competition. though they won the english premier league for the second time in three years the blues have not had it easy in the uefa champions league.
then manager robert mancini guided the club to champions league football in 2011 for the first time in the club’s history. they have made four appearances in the competition so far.
nasri failed to find a spot in france’s squad for the world cup in brazil with manager didier deschamps overlooking the 26-year-old. but the man from marseille has put the disappointment behind him and is seeing the other side of it.
“i won’t be there for the world cup. so it will be a good thing for my club. i can relax and come back fresh for the next season” he opined.
nasri had a good night out at the hazza bin zayed stadium with two sublime assists in their 3-0 win over al ain. he said that it was good to come to the uae.
“it was good to come here and show that even if it is a friendly game we take it seriously” said nasri.
for nasri it was his first trip to the uae and he said that it was great to share their exploits in england with the fans here. “i didn’t know that the passion was so strong in here. it was fantastic to see that and to share our victory with the fans was great. it was a pleasure to meet the owner. it was my first time here and they showed lot of respect that we did something amazing. we came here to show how grateful we are” he said.
he also had positive words about the state-of-the-art stadium which looks a smaller version of the allianz arena in munich germany.
“the stadium is amazing but it was difficult for us as it was very very hot in here. otherwise everything looks great and it looks like a home of a top club” nasri said.
nasri also said that it was great to give the uae fans a good match. “the fans had not seen us and it was the first time they saw us. and i’m sure they all will be happy. they all turned up and we wanted to make them happy. i’m sure they are happy to see us play” he said.
james?khaleejtimes.com
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