Manchester City may be going for glory on two fronts, an FA Cup final appearance and a top four finish, but for midfielder Nigel de Jong the priority is the latter and a Champions League place. "Our main goal is to finish in the Champions League.
"That game against United gave us a big confidence boost towards the next league game. It was a big statement and we have to maintain our focus.
"We have got better against United in the last year and a half. It is great, isn't it?"
City strengthened the squad in the summer thanks to the financial muscle of owner Sheikh Mansour and De Jong is not surprised they have had their ups and downs.
"We have come quite far as a team," he said. "As people say, Rome wasn't built in a day.
"A lot of new players have come into in the squad, a lot of new cultures. It takes time but you can see towards the end of the season everything is fitting perfectly.
"The spirit has never been away and will never go away. Everyone is fighting for each other. You have bad periods and good periods and this is a good period for us."
