Manchester: Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry believes his side are not too far away from being in a position to win their first Premier League trophy.
City have not been champions of England since 1968 but since the arrival of Sheikh Mansour as owner, big spending has propelled the club to the upper reaches of the domestic game.
Roberto Mancini's side won the FA Cup last season and Barry feels it is now only a matter of time until the Etihad Stadium is celebrating a Premier League triumph.
He told the club’s official website: "If you look at our finishes, we were 5th, then we finished 3rd last season and won the FA Cup.
"That is great progression and if you keep doing that then a league title is not going to be too far away for us. For this club to win the Premier League would be fantastic.
"Players always look at the league table. You never get too carried away by it but you are always looking. We have started well and now the top area of the table is where we are going to aim to stay.
"It is always tough to keep winning but that is the mentality the club need now and the players are trying to adapt to it
"Last season we finished 3rd and won the FA Cup - if we can improve on that again I am sure the fans will be very happy. It was always going to take time but we are getting there now.
"It was a massive deal for me to win my first trophy last season. To hear that final whistle at Wembley was special and once you have a taste for it you want it more - the whole team are the same."
The England midfielder believes City's rapid progression this season has been down to a combination of factors; impressive new signings, a rare full summer break and a change in their style of play.
Barry added: "It has been a fantastic start to the season. If you look at some of the negatives from last season, many people spoke about us being very defence-minded and mainly focused on getting clean sheets and keeping the opponents out.
"But when they now speak about how we have started this season it has been the complete opposite.
"We have scored a lot of goals and probably conceded more than we would have liked, but overall the feeling in the changing room and the way we have started has made us very pleased.
"It is always good to have a break in the summer - sometimes it is tough to get going in the new campaign when you have been away playing in international championships, but to have a full break and then a full pre-season with the squad has certainly helped me and the team as a whole.
"Everybody who has come into the squad this season has added something different and certainly helped to improve us as a unit.
"I think we will keep improving as the season goes on. There are certainly signs early on that we have made the next step up from last season and that can only be very good news."
While feeling that consistent top honours are not too far away, the former Aston Villa man insisted the club still had a lot to learn and that this season was going to be another new test for the squad at Eastlands.
"The squad and the club are still on somewhat of a learning curve," admitted Barry.
"This is our first season in the Champions League and we are hoping to go on long Cup runs - there are going to be so many games which means it is very important that players keep their focus.
"You cannot get too disappointed when you are not playing every game - a key part of trying to get success this year is that we all have to stay together, be patient and then take your chance when it comes."
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