Bernardo Silva says Manchester City should not be thinking about catching the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal at the top of the table.
The reigning champions’ woeful form means they have dropped 14 points behind first place at the halfway point of the campaign. Asked about his team’s prospects this season, Silva replied:
“Right now, it’s about accepting reality. I’m not looking at Liverpool. I’m sixth in the league, I cannot be looking at Liverpool or Arsenal.”
“I’m looking at the next game to try and win three points. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible because in football there are no impossibles, but right now, Manchester City is completely out of the title race.”
“No question about that. It’s too late for us. People say you cannot win the league until January, but you can lose it. This season the reality is that we have lost it.”
City’s aim is Champions League qualification
While winning a fifth consecutive Premier League title looks beyond the reach of Pep Guardiola’s side, they are still in the mix for the top four despite only winning 2 of their last 10 league fixtures.
They will be hoping to follow up their victory over Leicester City last week with another against West Ham on Saturday. Their opponents are licking their wounds after being on the receiving end of a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool. The Cityzens will, therefore, be favourites for the three points.
Reinforcements could help the champions escape their rut
Guardiola has confirmed that the club “want to add players” this month to ease the pressure on the current squad but he admits it won’t be easy to find the right targets.
If City are to have a better second half of the season, though, the team needs to be refreshed to some degree. Read our article to see who the club could target in January.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
