Toure: Don’t rule City out of Premier League title race
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure reckons “everything is possible” in the Premier League and doesn’t think the club should be ruled out of the title race.
Manager Pep Guardiola appeared to rule City out of the race after Sunday’s 4-0 defeat at Everton left them 10 points behind leaders Chelsea.
It was a damaging and humbling experience for City but Toure is convinced they can bounce back as they host second-placed Tottenham next weekend.
The 33-year-old midfielder said: “I think in the Premier League everything is possible. In football you have to be positive. I am a positive guy.
“I know it is tough sometimes but you have to accept that and continue to work hard, and we will have the chance. We just have to win a couple of games and everything will come back again.
“On Saturday we have an important game. We have to keep going. It is a difficult situation but what we have to do is work hard and try to bounce back.
“The league is still long. We have to try to do the business on Saturday and then we are coming back again.”
City were good on the ball in the first half at Goodison Park but always looked vulnerable to Everton’s forceful counter-attacks.
They were caught out as the hosts took the lead through Romelu Lukaku after 34 minutes and again as Kevin Mirallas doubled the advantage early in the second half.
We hit four past the Eagles #onthisday last year. Your favourite strike? #mcfc pic.twitter.com/opcFARQtHa
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 16, 2017
The second goal appeared to quell the threat of City, who had gone closest when a Bacary Sagna header was cleared off the line by Tom Davies.
They then capitulated in the closing stages as the impressive Davies, a Toffees Academy graduate, struck a fine third and debutant Ademola Lookman added another in stoppage time.
Toure said: “When you see over the game it is difficult to take because we were more unlucky than lucky – all the rebounds, the ball always missing when coming back to you.
“But that is football, we have to understand that. It can happen. When you see all the game I don’t think we played badly.
“If you look at the result, 4-0, it means we played badly – but we didn’t play so badly. We were unlucky from my point of view.”
Toure claims confidence in the dressing room will not be badly damaged.
Asked if the players were feeling low, he said: “Low? No. Of course nobody wants to lose this kind of game, and after the way we lost like that nobody wants to talk.
“But I don’t think we lack spirit. The guys were there. Sometimes football is unfair. I think it was a consequence of bad luck, what came.
“We have to try to be positive for the next game and look forward.”