"A lot can happen" - Manchester City star believes Cityzens are 'not favorites to win the title' after 0-0 draw against Arsenal
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva believes his side are no longer favourites to retain the title after their 0-0 draw against Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday, March 31. The Cityzens are three points off the pace in the Premier League title race, with nine matches left to play.
After Liverpool came from behind to defeat Brighton & Hove Albion earlier on Sunday, the Reds returned to the summit of the standings. Manchester City and Arsenal faced off against each other for a chance to topple Jürgen Klopp's side.
Bernardo Silva was on the pitch for the entirety of the game as City huffed and puffed against a resolute Arsenal rearguard that gave them no joy whatsoever. The champions failed to find the net at home for the first time in 58 games, and it felt like they had dropped two points at the final whistle.
After the game, Silva was on press duties for Pep Guardiola's side, and he claimed that his team are not favourites to emerge as champions. He did not, however, write off their chances of picking up a fourth successive league crown at the end of the season, as he believes a lot can still happen. He said (via Sky Sports):
"We are not favorites to win the title anymore. We have to be realistic. A lot can happen but we depend not on ourselves anymore. We depend on Arsenal & Liverpool because we don't play against them; so we need them to drop points and we need to do our job and win our games."
After 29 rounds of Premier League action, Manchester City are three points behind leaders Liverpool and one behind second-place Arsenal in the standings. The Cityzens have only two more games this season against sides in the league's top six places.
Nathan Ake adds to Manchester City woes with injury against Arsenal
Dutch defender Nathan Ake became the latest addition to the treatment room at Manchester City after what looked like a calf injury against Arsenal. Ake was taken off after just 25 minutes as he pulled up with an injury.
Manchester City were already without Ederson, Kyle Walker, and John Stones for the match against Arsenal. Ake registered his side's only attempt on target before being subbed off for youngster Rico Lewis in the 27th minute.
The Cityzens will need all of their quality and experience as they have fallen behind Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League title race. Their next assignment is a home game against Aston Villa on Wednesday, April 3.