'I really believe' - Rodri backs Man City for an astonishing comeback

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Manchester City midfield Rodri reflected on the Premier League season as he looks ahead to what is still to play for

Rodri thinks Manchester City may have lost out on the Premier League title but is backing them to stay alive in the Champions League. The Blues were held 1-1 at West Ham on Saturday in what has become a damaging month for them in the two biggest competitions.

Arsenal are now nine points clear at the top of the league after beating Everton 2-0 and while they have played an extra game City - having drawn their last two - do not look like putting a run together to stop them. Where Pep Guardiola teams of previous seasons would have charged at the run-in, this City side have stumbled.

However, Rodri is not ready to count City out of the Champions League despite a disastrous defeat to Real Madrid in midweek. City must turn around a 3-0 deficit from the first leg when they host the Spanish giants on Tuesday, but the Blues midfielder still thinks a comeback is possible.

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"We are alive in other competitions and on Tuesday we have a massive game [against Real Madrid], that I really believe we can turn around. The players who play have to score," said Rodri.

The midfielder echoed Guardiola in his thoughts after the West Ham game, determined to keep fighting but reflective about the problems in front of goal that have cost them this season. Whether or not they are able to score enough to put Real out on Tuesday in what would be an astonishing result, they haven't done enough in the Premier League to put opponents away.

"Maybe [the title race is over] yes, maybe no. We're not going to drop hands, we're going to keep fighting," he said. "We know it's going to be difficult because we have this experience of what you need to win at the end. I think the distance is too far but we're going to fight until the end. Now is a moment of no regrets.

"Today we showed a little bit of what the season was, ups and downs, then maybe the last pass or the last strike can make the difference. Football is about goals and we couldn't find the players to have numbers in terms of goals. That's the most important thing in football because we created the chances, we controlled the games but this is what makes the difference."