Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini believes the Blues will be one of the best four teams on the planet in two years.
Barcelona have been in a league of their own in the last couple of seasons, while Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid are topping La Liga this season.
City have seen at first hand just how strong European football is after a humbling in Bayern Munich, but Mancini feels the Blues will catch up in time.
Earlier this week owner Sheikh Mansour gave an interview in which he said winning the Premier League was the top priority.
He also expressed satisfaction with progress under Mancini, who last season guided the club to their first silverware in 35 years with FA Cup glory.
Mancini said: "I think Sheikh Mansour understands we have worked well.
"I think we have built a good team in a year and a half but we need to continue to work harder.
"If we win the Barclays Premier League, for us that would be an incredible moment.
"But from now until the end, we have 25 games. It is very difficult to say now if we can win the title.
"Five points is a good gap but the season is long."
Mancini is happy with the job he has done in the near two years since his appointment but he is aiming much higher over the next two years.
He said: "City have improved a lot.
"I think we have a good mentality - we want to play to win always, away or at home.
"But we understand also in this process there will be mistakes. This is normal.
"I think in two years we can be in the four top teams in the world."
What do you think? Have your say.
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Two or three years ago top four in England looked like a big deal, and look where we are now. Top four in the planet? Why not?!!
He's delivered so far on everythign he's said, why doubt him now !
Why not? Once City take UEFA to court over FFPR and Restraint Of Trade, then, in the immortal words of Arthur Daley, "The world is our lobster, Terence".
Cue a barrage of rabid rag vitriol.
Keep it going Bobby lad.....Legendary Status is just around the corner for you !.
With Roberto in charge and with the backing of the Sheik this is very possible.
I'm confused by this article, simply because it is a universally well known fact that City are best team in the land in all the world (already).
Dream on
Top 4 clubs? So that's City, Barca, Real and Palace. Happy days!
Absolutely nothing wrong with this sort of ambition, we are already number one in Manchester, soon to be confirmed as number one in England. We will have to wait until next season but at our current progress, semi finals of Chumps League is a cert
why not ? the way we,ve progressed over the last couple of years, it certainly isn,t beyond the realms of possibility,up to now we,re the best team in england, bar none, there will be hickups thats for sure, but line em pick, and we,ll knock em down, in roberto we trust. P.S this will not sit well with the new bitters but hey thats life the real mark jones.
If we win nothing from now till whenever Id still say THANKS for the incredible journey the Sheikh Mansour, Bobby Manc and the Team are taking us all on.... Long may it last CTID
Yes I'm feeling optimistic too but can we just just take things one step at a time please? Mancini is doing very well and things are going swimmingly at the moment but it takes a good few years to establish yourself as one of the top teams in the world and a few years is a long time in football so lets just take each season as it comes. Champions league is already probably over for us so lets just focus on winning the league and build from there.
I am sick listening comments like 'humbling in Bayern Munich'. I still feel if we had got at least one of the two stone wall penalties in the first half an hour, the game would have been differant. I can take the defeat by Napoli who won fair and square as that game was not affected by poor refereeing.
Q; where do you see this club in the next 2 to 3 years
A; bobby one of the top 4 teams in the world
And why not he's not going to say relegated too the championship fighting crystal palace in the play off's is he stupid question but is it. By answering it it means bobby can still see himself at gods own in 2 to 3 years which is good news for us blues to hear cheers muen new there was a story in this somewhere.
Wow! Is this really my football team ?
Can the real Man City please stand up.
I'm sure that Mancini was not being arrogant in answering the question posed, but was taking into account the improvement that the team has made in such a short period of time.
If the owners are allowed to get on with the " project " without the interference of UEFA and its cronies involved in the inaccurately named Fair Play League, then progression beyond the current level is sure to follow , even if two years seems an incredibly short period of time.
As a fan watching on the sidelines and seeing such massive improvements and plans being put into place is absolutely fantastic, having watched through years of struggle and mediocrity.
Unlike some foreign owners , our owners are putting massive investment into the club, local community by way of development that will change the face of a poor and deprived locality.
Anybody who has the vision and determination to invest on such a scale deserves to succeed and at the same time earn the gratitude of all City supporters .
Must say Mancinis team selection and tactics in Napoli,has made me doubt about his skills as a trainer for a top top team meeting other top top teams.I might be wrong but that game and also few others rings a bell.With the squad now normal games is not the problem,that runs by itself almost with the sheer quality in the squad.And i also think he is mixing about to much with starting lineups.Like pros really needs to rest that much is way overdriven.
First things first ....... BEAT Norwich on Saturday
It's destiny Belive this roller coster ride goes on and on for the next 100 years .REJOICE !!!
we keep hearing the saying "humbling by bayern munich"in that game we were robbed of at least 1 and possilby 2 penalties before bayern scored now im not saying we would have won but goals change games i also note some who say that against napoli roberto got his tatics wrong well for me i dont agree i think that if we had preformed in the first game agaist napoli we would not be 3rd in the group it was a case of opening night nerves lets not forget we are new to the champs league and so we are learning all in all i think we are going along nicely i will give an example of how things have changed look at the latest odds for winning the carling cup we are favorites 2ys ago even with palace and cardiff we would have been lucky to be 3rd favs we can change our starting 11 at will and im sure that our so called 2nd team would do well in the prem alot better than we were before our wonderful owners took the helm i still find it hard to belive that it is us the blues who top the prem can we stay there only time will tell but for once im looking at games like qpr away where even only 18 mnths ago we would have lost with the thought i cant see us messing it up the team is playing well
This is like playing a computer game with a £500,000,000 cheat - I love every minute but sometimes miss the uncertainty of watching City.
His head to head stats shown against Wenger's are extremely impressive in one so young!
He should have been Manager of the Season last year, deserves more respect by the Media but this is City so that's not likely to happen any day soon!!
However the fans certainly show that he is the most loved Manager in the league and may it continue.
He is quoted as saying "can be" not "will be" in the top 4 teams in the world in the next two years.
Just keep up the good work everyone and the good times will roll
the future is blue end of i can see into the future ;-}