Manchester City star Phil Foden has conceded the Premier League title race following his side’s 2-2 draw at Brentford on Tuesday night.
England international Foden, 24, vented his frustrations in a post-match interview after City let slip a two-goal lead to lose yet more ground on leaders Liverpool.
A second-half brace from Foden had put City on course for victory. But goals from Yoane Wissa Christian Norgaard brought Brentford level in the closing stages.
The draw sees City now 12 points below Liverpool, who have a game-in-hand on the champions.
And Foden was brutally honest in his assessment. The forward said you would need to be “stupid” to think City are still in this year’s title race.
With just ten wins from 21 games, City are sixth in the table and face an uphill struggle to make the top four.
Talk of a historic fifth straight title has quickly evaporated, with Foden bluntly conceding they’re out of it.
Phil Foden Says Title Race Is ‘Done For Sure’
Speaking after the match, 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 and City looked back to their best as they took a two-goal lead late on. But as has been the case this season, a late collapse has cost them points.
But while things haven’t gone to plan, the winger believes lessons will be learned and they can bounce back next season.
“I think I’ve learned the most from this season, to be honest,” he added.
“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.”
