Jack Grealish hits back with defiant Man City Premier League title claim amid Liverpool slip-up

Manchester City playmaker Jack Grealish has insisted his side will not let Champions League heartbreak affect their domestic goals.

Pep Guardiola’s men were knocked out the Champions League in dramatic fashion as they suffered an extra-time defeat to Real Madrid midweek. City are still in pole position for the Premier League, and were handed a further boost when rivals Liverpool were held by Tottenham on Saturday.

Now with the league a top priority, all focus will go towards the final four matches in the hope they can be crowned champions of England once again.

However, critics have speculated that the loss in Madrid may be carried home with them.

Man City conceded two goals in added time and a further in extra time, allowing Real Madrid to book their spot in Paris against Liverpool.

However Grealish has dismissed claims this will affect them, instead insisting the cruel nature of defeat will spur them on.

As quoted by The Mirror, he said: “Yes, 100 per cent. That is what we are here to do. That is why, in my opinion, we are the best team in the Premier League. Because we want to win stuff.

“We put that pressure on ourselves to constantly win trophies and the club as a whole has done that over the last ten years especially. We have the Premier League to go and play for now. It is in our hands.

“We have four important games coming up. The game the other night certainly gives us more of an edge to go and do that.”

Grealish has been under fire since his arrival at the Etihad. Having struggled to live up to the hype around his signing, many have questioned whether City was the right move for his career.

However, the 26-year-old seems convinced himself that he is playing for the right club. And speaking about what makes City so special, Grealish was adamant the prospect of a league medal is what motivates him more than anything.

“At City, one thing that I have realised is you have so many important games that come thick and fast,” he said.

“The pressure is good. I came here to try and lift trophies and have medals of my own.

“Once you play in the Premier League, then you think ‘imagine winning it one day’. For me, it would be a dream come true.”

Jack Grealish looks ahead to Newcastle clash

City face Newcastle at home on Sunday afternoon and they can assert their dominance in the title race with a win.

Victory would move them three points clear of Liverpool with just three games remaining. But the players are fully aware of the dangers they still must face.

Since the new year Newcastle have been in fine form, victorious in four of their last five matches.

Looking ahead to the match-up, Grealish insisted that the squad has prepared well for the task at hand.

“They have been brilliant since he came in. They have made a few good signings and they have had a turnaround in form, so fair play to them. They’ll will bring a lot of fans but we will try to take all three points.”

Grealish can look forward to next season

Grealish has only managed two goals and two assists in the Premier League this season.

However, he is still early into his City contract and so will look forward to a full pre-season.

Indeed, Grealish only made his £100million move from Aston Villa at the start of August.

That left him with only a couple of weeks to settle in before the start of the season.

However, Guardiola can help fine-tune Grealish’s game over the summer and the attacker will hope to contribute more in the next campaign.

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