Roque's raring to go

Injury-hit striker is ready to help City secure top-four finish

By Ben Collins   Last updated: 12th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Roque's raring to go

Santa Cruz: Biding his time

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Roque Santa Cruz is ready to make his mark for Manchester City as a critical season nears its climax.

The Blues have spent big in a bid to qualify for the UEFA Champions League and return the club to former glories, with Santa Cruz one of their many high-profile summer signings.

But the Paraguay international has suffered an injury-hit campaign since moving from Blackburn as his first City start was delayed until October before he was ruled out with a calf problem.

The 28-year-old striker has seen little action under new manager Roberto Mancini but feels he is nearing full fitness and is eager to help City secure that much-coveted fourth place.

"Right now I'm just trying to get to 100%," he told Sky Sports News.

Decisive

"It's a bit sad that it's coming at a time when the season is running out but another way is that the good games are just coming, the decisive ones, and I hope to bring my best football to the team."

There has been intense competition for places at City this season after Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor followed Santa Cruz to Eastlands last summer, while Craig Bellamy was already with the Blues.

Santa Cruz's injury problems have seen him given the least game-time and he has scored three goals in 15 appearances, just five of them starts.

When fit, he has been kept out by the sparkling form of 21-goal Tevez or Adebayor and Bellamy, who have both chipped in with nine goals apiece.

Successful

But given their goals have kept City in contention for a Champions League spot, Santa Cruz is happy to play the waiting game.

"They were doing so well," he added.

"In terms of what we want for the club, I'm very happy to see Tevez scoring almost every game, I'm very pleased to see Adebayor doing well, and I want it to keep going that way so the team is as successful as we want it to be.

"They are just fantastic players and that is just a part of it - seeing who is going to play - and it's going to stay that way until the end of the season."

City's 4-2 win at Chelsea last time out leaves them level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham but with a game in hand.

The Blues have two games in hand over Liverpool, who are a point behind in sixth place, while Aston Villa are seventh, four points beind City with one game in hand.

City's next assignment is a trip to Sunderland on Sunday and Santa Cruz, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich in 2001, believes this final push for fourth could be the start of a golden era at Eastlands.

"There's a hard battle to come," he said.

Great era

"We have 11 games to go and we are in a fantastic position, having two games in hand and we also have to play Villa and Tottenham at home.

"The chances are there and I think we have the players to achieve it. Next year could be a fantastic one for everyone.

"Playing Champions League football is the best thing you can have as a player in Europe and everybody's going to be delighted to be there.

"By Champions League football it would be a great start to develop a great era for the club.

"We are sure that once that happens, everything is going to go in the right direction, more people will be interested in coming here and we will make the squad even bigger and better."

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