Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala has stressed the importance of the 2015/16 season for the Citizens after having endured a trophy-less last term.

The Sky Blues haven't had an impressive pre-season campaign, having lost the final of the International Champions Cup final 4-1 against Real Madrid, and were also humbled by German outfit Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in their final match of their pre-season schedule.




The Frenchman, who had been heavily criticised for his frequent defensive lapses last term, is confident about his team's chances during the upcoming season, insisting that his side have to win as a club of Manchester City's stature simply cannot afford two back-to-back seasons without a trophy.

In order to make that happen though, Mangala stresses the need to start the season with a win against West Bromwich Albion on Monday, which could well serve as a trigger for the rest of the campaign.
 


“We are in the final week of our preparations and with a game coming up on Monday", Mangala told his club's official website.

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"We know we need to work hard on the training pitch and get our tactics spot-on as well as every other aspect of our game.

“We want to start the season well and we know West Brom on the first day is not an easy place to go.

"It’s a big season for me and it’s a big season for all of us because we didn’t win any trophies in 2014/15 and this year we want to put that right.

“For a club like Manchester City, it’s not good enough to end up empty-handed – we want to win the title and other trophies and go as far as we can in the Champions League and that’s the mentality we have at the club.”