Manuel Pellegrini reckons the whole of Europe will fear Manchester City, after they strode confidently into the last 16 of the Champions’ League.
A show-stopping hat trick from Alvaro Negredo, backed by two more from Sergio Aguero was enough to see off a poor CSKA Moscow side , and book a place in the knock out stage with two matches to spare.
And with both strikers on fire - after taking their combined tally to a stunning 22 goals already this season - their manager insisted that the Blues now believe they can beat any team in Europe.
“We are very very happy because this is an achievement in the history of the club,” he explained.
“You can see from the last two years it is not easy, and yet two games before the end we are in the round of 16. The minimum target is to qualify for the next round, but it is not our only target.
“We have a strong team, we have a strong squad, we will see who we will play in February, but I can assure you they will not be very happy to play against us. No one will.
“In the past three days we have scored 12 goals, and again, as a group what we are doing is impressive. I think we can beat any side now, when we play at our best.”
While Negredo grabbed his first hat-trick for the club and took his tally this season to nine, it was Aguero who was the star of the show with a fine performance sparked by his third-minute penalty.
The Argentine striker has now scored 12 goals in his last nine games, and Pellegrini thinks the pair are as good as any partnership right now.
“I think both of them have played really really well not only today, but the whole season,” he added.
“For Sergio he is a great moment, because he is not only scoring, but his movement and his contribution to the team is important. Alvaro too. They have got the goals they deserve.
“It is important to have such quality of striker, but for both of them I think it is important the way the team is playing, and we are backing up their efforts brilliantly.”
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