"I’ve never lost two games in a row for Manchester City before" - Jack Grealish makes bold claims about the Cityzens after Arsenal defeat
Manchester City winger Jack Grealish boldly dismissed any claims suggesting the Cityzens are in a crisis following their Premier League loss to Arsenal on Sunday, October 8.
Pep Guardiola's men faced Arsenal at the Emirates looking to extend their 12-match unbeaten streak against them in the league. However, Gabriel Martinelli's 86th-minute goal subjected Manchester City to their third defeat in four games across competitions.
Since losing Rodri to a suspension, the Cityzens have lost back-to-back league games for the first time since 2018. They were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup, losing 1-0 against Newcastle United last month.
City are now third in the league standings with 18 points from eight games, two behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur. Some fans have claimed that the club are going through a crisis but Grealish shot that down.
He said (via METRO):
"Come on, no chance. Obviously I’ve never lost two games in a row for City before. But it’s nowhere near a crisis. We had a brilliant start to the season. We didn’t win the Community Shield but then we won the Super Cup. We then won six in a row and we’ve obviously lost the last two."
He added:
"Rodri has been a big miss for us. There’s no doubt about that. For me, I come [to England] this week and I’ve tried to do little bits of extra fitness after training, just to try and help myself get back to full fitness.
"As soon as I go back to City, I need to get myself back in that starting XI because towards the end of last season, I was playing every single game so that’s how I want it to be."
Grealish has made eight appearances in total for Manchester City this season, registering just one assist.
Fabrizio Romano provides transfer update on Manchester City star Kalvin Phillips
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano provided a transfer update on Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips after the latter was linked to a possible move to Newcastle United in the January transfer window.
Phillips signed a six-year deal at the Etihad last summer, joining from Leeds United. But the 27-year-old only made 21 appearances last term, playing just 593 minutes of football.
The England international's fortunes haven't seen any upturn this season and he is yet to start a Premier League game, even with Rodri currently suspended. As per iNews, Manchester City are willing to put Phillips up for sale so he can receive more minutes.
Romano shared a transfer update on his column for CaughtOffside. He wrote (via Football Fancast):
"Kalvin Phillips – Despite links with Newcastle and Everton, I’m not aware of concrete talks on this one. Phillips wanted to stay at City this summer despite some approaches, so he’s still focused on doing his best for City and then a decision will be made later, like November or December.
"Newcastle won’t decide anything on transfer targets before they know what happens in their Champions League group.”