Phil Foden was left frustrated after seeing Manchester City squander a two-goal lead over Brentford on Tuesday to fall 12 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool
Phil Foden says you would have to be “stupid” to think Manchester City are still in the title race.
Foden was honest enough to admit that City are now facing a battle just to make the top four and a guaranteed Champions League place. City are languishing in sixth place, 12 points behind leaders Liverpool and the four-in-a-row champions have endured a turbulent season.
England star Foden said: “The title? Yeah, yeah, it’s done for sure, it’s done. We know. We’re not stupid. So we’ve got to aim for top four, that’s the next target now and then obviously Champions League as well. So it’s not as if the season has gone.
“But we’ve got to be realistic, haven’t we? The performances have not been good enough to get up there. The top four is our aim now and then see where we can be in the other trophies. We can’t dwell on it. We’ve got to try and aim for the top four now and make things right.”
Foden showed signs of getting back to his form of last season with his two goals at Brentford but City surrendered a 2-0 lead with just eight minutes left to end up drawing 2-2. That would have been unthinkable while City have been at their best.
But it just about sums up a bizarre season in which they have not found any form or consistency and now the fight is on for Pep Guardiola to get into the top four or win one of the other trophies as they are still in the FA Cup and Champions League.
Foden was also honest enough to admit this season has been a steep learning curve and they can take away a lot from it to make them stronger next year. Foden said: “I think I’ve learned the most from this season, to be honest.
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“Like you said, I’ve not been in this situation before where I’ve lost this many games and been in this situation. So it’s a learning curve, and it’s just about how you get back to your best, not just me, but the team as well. And how we come back from this.
“I believe, I still believe in the team, you know, I still believe we can do good things. It’s about getting back on the training pitch and having that belief, to keep going, don’t give up.
“We’ve been the best in the last few seasons and when we face an opponent we can just see how much they’re up for it. And we have to try and match that, if not better it, and we’re coming up a little bit short at the moment.
“So, I think that’s been the challenge this year, how everyone adapts to have our playing style and that’s made it really difficult. That’s one of the things I’ve learned. We’ve not got the biggest squad but we can’t really make excuses.
“We’ve been used to it now playing most competitions every year and we’ve not struggled in the past. There’s always the next game around the corner so you have to pick our heads up and go again. So, it’s something to work on. At least the performances are picking up.”
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