A 4-0 thumping at the hands of Everton yesterday afternoon forced Pep Guardiola to concede post-match that his Manchester City side could now be out of the Premier League title race. As quoted by The Guardian, he said...

"Yes. The first one is a ten-point gap and that is a lot. The second one is three points, so we have to see. I spoke with the players for the last three weeks to forget about the table, focus on the next game and do our best. After that, at the end of the season, we’ll analyse how our level was, our performance, the coach, the players. After we are going to decide."

Of course, it wasn't quite terms of unconditional surrender, but you can understand why Guardiola might be looking to take the pressure off his players after such a hefty defeat (the biggest league loss of his managerial career) has left them in fifth place, ten points off the Premier League's summit.

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But nothing is impossible in the Premier League and Manchester City have been here before. Roberto Mancini famously insisted his side were out of the title race around this time during the 2011/12 season - and they went on to pip Manchester United to the crown by goal difference.

That was a remarkable comeback but City still have 16 games left to play, including a crucial clash with the Blues at the start of April that could dramatically alter the balance of power at the top of the Premier League if they make up some ground in the meantime.

So is City's title bid over? FootballFanCast aren't quite convinced, but we're ready to open the floor to our readers. Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below.

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