Phil Foden has revealed Manchester City's pride in turning around the club's tough start to the season as they set their sights on a historic treble.
Pep Guardiola's Premier League and League Cup winners are bidding for a first European Cup against Chelsea on Saturday, but trophies seemed a long way off when the delayed campaign got underway in September.
They won only five of their first 12 league games and were struggling to make an impact in mid-table.
“It was definitely tough at the start of the season,” said Foden.
“We finished last season so late and didn’t get much of a break before starting again, and that probably had an effect.
"But we always knew what this team was capable of. We started talking about how we were much better than our place in the table and how we needed to come together and show it. Luckily, we did that and we went on this incredible run. Now we have two trophies, and we want to add a third.”
City face Chelsea, who have beaten them twice in recent months, bidding to become only the second English team to complete a treble of league, domestic cup and Champions League after Manchester United in 1999.
The magnitude of the occasion is certainly not lost on 20-year-old Foden, who will be looking to add the biggest trophy of them all to his ever-expanding collection.
“It would be huge for us,” he said. “It’s what we’ve all been working towards for so long. But it’s not easy. All of the best teams in Europe are aiming to win this competition every season and only one can win the trophy so it’s impossible for them all to do it.
“It’s a dream to have the chance to play in such a huge game and we understand the importance. Not just to us but to our fans. Hopefully we can make them proud.”
City lifted the Premier League title for the third time in four years following last Sunday's 5-0 win over Everton but Foden, who played an integral role in that triumph, says with such a big game on the horizon, it was quickly time to refocus.
“The celebrations on Sunday were really special because the Premier League is our everyday focus for such a big part of the season,” he added.
“But when we came in on Monday, that was done. We have one game left now and it is a huge one. One that our club has never played in before and one even some of the best players in the world never get to be part of. All our focus is on winning that game and getting our hands on that trophy.”
