Pellegrini’s City can emulate the Lisbon Lions

It could be a memorable year for Manchester City as they set their sights on multiple silverware targets.

The Lisbon Lions swept all before them in 1967, winning every competition they entered. Not many teams manage that, even the very, very best.

Celtic’s achievement will stand the test of time as they conquered all without the need for huge transfers. But I think Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City have got what it takes to go down in history this season.

After an uncertain start, the Sky Blues have improved week after week to the point where they’re starting to look unstoppable. Even the mighty Barcelona will be concerned about facing them in the Champions League next month.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying City have got it in the bag. They could have a series of bad days and end up winning nothing at all.

But with the way Pellegrini has them playing now and with the depth of talent he’s got at his disposal there’s no doubt a clean sweep of the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Champions League is possible.

That’s not a claim I make lightly, and the bookies who will give you odds of up to 150/1 agree.

I know how difficult it is to challenge in more than one competition. As back in 1981, Ipswich were fighting for the UEFA Cup in addition to the domestic trophies.

We won the UEFA Cup, of course, but our efforts on the Continent meant we fell just short back at home. We finished second in the League, went out of the FA Cup in the semi-finals to Manchester City funnily enough and crashed out of the League Cup in the Fourth Round. Close, but no cigar.

In the end the sheer number of games got to us, understandable when you consider the relatively small number of players used over the season. That’s not a problem the top clubs have these days, and City are one of the biggest in the world.

To be fair, it’s not a problem the Lisbon Lions had either, even though their squad was only 17 strong. They were an exceptional team, undoubtedly one of the best ever. But football has changed since then.

Today, strength in depth is vital and that’s a department in which City, with their seemingly bottomless wealth, look very strong.

For a manager to come out and say he wants to do the quadruple at this point in the season as Manuel Pellegrini has is pretty much unprecedented. But you can bet he’ll have thought long and hard about whether to go public with it.

The fact that he did speaks volumes about how strong he believes his team are and he ought to know. The message will have been received loud and clear in the City dressing-room. The players now know what’s expected of them.

And with their manager’s words ringing in their ears, I expect them to go out and do the business.