Manchester City coach David Platt aiming to overtake Arsenal

FA Cup Final: Yaya Toure; Mario Balotelli, Manchester City v Stoke City

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Manchester City coach David Platt is hoping that Saturday’s FA Cup victory will be the first of many trophies for the team and wants the players to use the win as a springboard to overtake Arsenal in the league.

City won their first trophy for 35 years on Saturday with a hard fought victory over Stoke and if they win their last two Premier League games of the season they will ensure automatic Champions League qualification at the expense of the Gunners.

Platt is hoping that the FA Cup victory will focus the players’ minds to win their last two games and win more trophies next season.

He told reporters: “We’ve got two games to go and can take six points. If we do that we have done our job.

“We could actually get third place from Arsenal. We’ve got to continue to win games and continue to win trophies.

“We’re delighted at this moment and quite rightly so. We should enjoy it but only until around Tuesday morning.

“We’ve made a big step up as regards the players that have come in, they’ve bedded themselves in, and as the season’s gone on we’ve become more assured as a team.”

Platt also had special praise for striker Mario Balotelli, who played a starring role in the cup victory.

He added: “You’ve got to give the credit to Robbie Mancini, though. Robbie believes in him Balotelli.

“For anybody to leave a country and come to play in a different style of football, it’s very difficult to hit the ground running, especially when you are only 20.

“He also had injuries as well at the start of the season. There’s no doubt about it, he does things sometimes that bring him into the forefront of the newspapers and the media that he could perhaps negate a little bit.

“But I think in terms of him as a person, he’s very easy to manage. He’s a great boy.

“You’ve just got to do it on a constant basis. His performances, when he’s at it, are second to none.”