Gary Neville believes the champions are in decline(Image: PA)

Gary Neville hits nail on the head about title race after Man City's latest defeat

Manchester City's season went from bad to worse as they were hammered by Tottenham and Gary Neville claims a Premier League title would now be their finest achievement

by · The Mirror

Gary Neville believes if Manchester City can land another Premier League title this term it will be Pep Guardiola's greatest triumph.

The champions had looked primed to go after a fifth successive success at the start of the season but find themselves at their lowest ebb in years. City have now lost five on the bounce in all competitions with Tottenham hammering them 4-0 at the Etihad on Saturday night.

Guardiola is seeking answers as he looks to negotiate a difficult period of the season minus some of his biggest names. City's performance levels though have nosedived and their loss means Liverpool can open up a staggering eight point lead on Sunday.

The two teams meet next week at Anfield - a stadium that hasn't been kind to Guardiola and co - and Neville believes if City can arrest their slide and overcome the deficit to Liverpool it would rank above all else.

He claimed: "It's a big game next week, Liverpool vs City, and there's only a few points in it, there's a long way to go, but it feels like today, if Man City were to win the title this season, I think it would be Pep's greatest Premier League."

City have been immensely dominant and Neville admits, having been there himself in his Manchester United days, that scaling the mountain time after time becomes increasingly difficult.

He told Sky Sports: "When you're on the decline - and I hate to use the word decline, but it does feel like it - it's a group of players with a number of things [going wrong]. The idea of growing slightly old together, the idea of playing the volume of games together, the physical and mental demands of that, and the third thing is how many times you can keep going.

Man City currently look lost for answers( Image: James Gill/Danehouse)

"I played for a manager and a club who kept going, but there were times when you just fall over. You've won the league three times on the bounce, twice, you've done doubles, you've won trebles, and you just can't go any further.

"Your shoulders just drop a bit, and it looks like that's the kind of thing that's happened here. It's a group of players who have run a million miles. They've been sensational. But they've become a little bit punch-drunk. Leggy, lacking in energy, they've lost players and a couple of vital players out through injury.

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