PELLEGRINI'S FIVE-TROPHY TARGET LIST

ABOVE: Manuel Pellegrini is set to take over at City and has been set a target of five trophies in five yea

I think that next season is going to be much better, I am convinced about that.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano

24th May 2013

By Steve Brenner

MANUEL PELLEGRINI was last night told by Manchester City: We want five trophies in five years.

The City board are desperate for the Chilean chief to bring plenty of silverware to the Etihad, and won’t settle for anything less.

Former manager Roberto Mancini was sacked earlier this month after a potless campaign and chief executive Ferran Soriano said: “I think that next season is going to be much better, I am convinced about that.

“It doesn’t mean we are going to win one or two titles, but in the grand scheme of things, if we look at the next five years and I could plan now, I would say I want to win five trophies in the next five years.

“That may mean we win no trophy one year and two in another, but on average, I want one trophy or title a year.

“That is the Champions League, the Premier League or the FA Cup.

“It’s a realistic aim. But I am talking about five years. If next year we don’t win, but progress our football and get to the semi-finals of the Champions League, finish second in the Premier League and lose the FA Cup Final again, that will be fine.

“That is because we will have progressed in the way our football develops.”

Soriano admitted Mancini was axed because of the alarming inconsistency which destroyed City’s attempt to defend their Premier League crown.

Spaniard Soriano, who insists Sergio Aguero will not be sold at any price this summer, added: “Roberto wasn’t set targets about winning titles, I can assure.

“The target was to improve in the way we play football, so the target for the next manager will be exactly the same.

“It’s about good football and good results. We can lose the final of the FA Cup, disappointing as it was, but it is not about one game, it is about whether the football we play evolves properly.

“In the last year, I think it’s fair to say that it didn’t.

“To the new manager we are asking this - we know we have very good players, very mature players so if they are in an environment where there are fewer tensions they will be able to deliver more on pitch.

“Actually our team has played some very good football this year - the problem was that it wasn’t consistent.

“You have seen some good games when we were very satisfied - winning at Old Trafford.

“What cannot happen is that the team plays away and the performance changes so much from one game to the next. You never know what you are going to see.

“We are satisfied with the way the team has played this year in many games but not with the consistency.”