There are 10 games left for Manchester City in the Premier League this season to ensure they don't miss out on the Champions League for the first time in more than a decade.
The 2010-11 season was the last time the Blues did not compete at the top table of European football they currently sit in fifth place in the top flight with their hopes of reaching the Champions League in the balance.
City have fallen short of expectations across the board this term. Four consecutive Premier League titles has been followed by a lacklustre season this time around.
Ahead of their 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest manager Pep Guardiola said it would not be the end of the world if City failed to make the Champions League next season, adding that if it doesn’t happen 't’s because we have not been good enough and the other teams deserve it.'
Despite Guardiola’s outlook the club failing to qualify for the Champions League would see them miss out on millions of pounds in prizemoney as well as deliver a blow to the morale of the squad and a potential impact on recruitment.
City have already lost nine of their 28 league games this season. The drop in quality has been clear since the autumn and league leaders Liverpool are out of sight. Instead of looking up, City are nervously glancing over their shoulder. There are only five points between City in fifth and Fulham in 10th.
Guardiola’s record speaks for itself yet the prospect of missing out on Champions League would be a blow to this City team, one experiencing issues they have not faced before under the Catalan.
City face sixth place Brighton on Saturday in what is a pivotal fixture in the shake up for the top four. Defeat to the Seagulls would leave the Blues with plenty of work to do.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
