What did Yaya really say?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/nov/07/yaya-toure-manchester-city


Yaya Touré believes that Manchester City's
second XI would be good enough to qualify for the Champions League, as
he articulated his confidence that the club could win major trophies
this season and redefine people's perceptions about them.
The
Ivory Coast midfielder has started every game so far in the Premier and
Champions leagues and he has contributed vital goals in the past week,
scoring twice in last Wednesday's 3-0 win at Villarreal and getting the
winner at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. The towering header
maintained City's five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League while they are well placed to emerge from a difficult Champions League section.
Yet
it was when Touré was given the night off in the Carling Cup at the end
of last month that he was struck by the intimidating extent of City's
power. As he had done in the previous round at Birmingham City, when the
team won 2-0, the manager, Roberto Mancini, made wholesale changes for
the visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The result was a 5-2 victory and,
hard on the heels of the 6-1 derby triumph at Manchester United, another
fearsome statement of intent.
"What I have always said is that we
have more than one team now. We have got two teams," Touré said. "If
you see Wolves in the Carling Cup, people said it was the second team
but for me, it is not the second team because everybody is good enough
to play.
"The team that played that night won 5-2 … the team that
played against Wolves at the Etihad [in the Premier League] won 3-1 but
it was difficult. We have got two teams now that can both play in the
Champions League. We have got a fantastic squad and fantastic players,
everybody is improving. It is amazing."
Touré's words tumbled out
excitedly. The 28-year-old is steeped in humility and he repeatedly
stressed that the Premier League was an intensely difficult competition
to win. But he could not hide his feeling that City could do it this
time and effectively tear up the established order, not least in their
own town, where United have ruled the roost for so long.
City were
criticised last season for their cagey approach in some matches and
they have long been derided for an ability to craft defeat from the
brink of victory. The team's explosive start to the season, though, has
been defined by enterprising football and a glut of goals, and if the FA
Cup final victory over Stoke City last May ended the trophy drought,
Touré feels that further breakthroughs can be expected.
"Last year
was a difficult year," he said. "We didn't play such good football. But
we've got that now, with a couple of players coming [in] ... Agüero,
Nasri, Clichy and Savic. They're good players, young players. The future
of the club is very important. I signed at the start of last season but
now it is a different contest because we have the quality players who
have come in. And, more importantly, players have responded ... like
Dzeko, like Balotelli. Dzeko is fantastic now.
"One thing that I
want to achieve with this club is to change the ambition of the club.
That's why the club signed me from Barcelona, that's why the club has
signed a lot of quality players. The club going step by step and
reaching the top is the most important thing because Man City need
something. We need a change of ambition. I came here because I wanted to
make history. I want to be part of history at this club. I think about
us being close to making it."
The tests keep on coming. Four of
City's next five league fixtures are against Newcastle United,
Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal; they face the decisive Champions League
ties against Napoli and Bayern Munich and there is also the Carling Cup
quarter-final at Arsenal. Form and momentum, though, are with them.
"The
team's performances are improving, the mentality is getting stronger
and the team is doing something that, honestly, I didn't expect," Touré
said. "It's not enough. We have to keep improving. But I have
confidence. We've got the squad. We've got the quality. We all expect
... players and fans, the players especially ... we expect to win
something this year."
Touré spoke at Puma's African Cup of Nations
kit launch and the competition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, which
begins on 21 January and runs for three weeks, will see him take a
working sabbatical from Premier League duties. Ivory Coast will start as
many people's favourites; Touré knows that City's squad will cope
without him. He talked on other subjects, including his bewilderment
that his City team-mate Micah Richards had been omitted from the England
squad, but it was a different shock that made his smile widen.
"Some
people back at home asked me: 'Is it real? You beat United 6-1?'" he
said. "But people understand now that City is becoming a big team.
Everyone understands now. City are coming in the top."

Trouble with that is that every team will see this as a challenge and probably put that up on the dressing room wall when they play city, so we now have to show that we are up for the challenge, so bring em on

To be fair - I kind of like the whole confident approach. It's not cockey to me, more confidence - which we have lacked since the late 60's, early 70's. You listen to Mike Summerbee - the epitome of confidence, to the point of cockiness. I like this mentality, albeit, it's hard to get our own minds in the same sphere as theirs, due to the misery of the past 25 years.

We have always been the under-achievers, the fans 2nd team....only because everyone knew we would never challenge the big 2 or 3......but that's changing and so should our confidence and belief.

So - remember these quotes:

Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.

Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it.

Believe that you have it, and you have it.

He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.

Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.

If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?

They can because they think they can.

They wil rise highest who strive for the highest place.

Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be acheived.