Matheus Nunes scored a 94th-minute winner to beat Aston Villa 2-1 and boost Man City's Champions League hopes, then revealed he has not even watched the competition on TV
Matheus Nunes said Champions League qualification has become Manchester City's Premier League trophy after their failure to challenge for the title.
City's record four-year reign as English champions will come to an end on Wednesday if Arsenal lose to Crystal Palace, or if the Gunners win then Liverpool will confirm the title by beating Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola's side's failure to keep pace in the title race after a surprisingly poor season has left them with two targets – reaching the Champions League and winning the FA Cup.
City took a big step towards achieving the first goal with Tuesday's dramatic late 2-1 win over fellow Champions league rivals Aston Villa, in which Nunes scored a 94th-minute winner.
The midfielder – currently deployed at right-back – admitted City's players have had to readjust their goal of going for the title to simply ensure they are in the Champions League next season.
“This is our Premier League trophy now - to qualify for the Champions League,” said Nunes. “This is our reality now and we have to accept it. We just have to go for it like the Champions League is the Premier League trophy.
“I think it's massively important for us, in terms of everything - the club, in terms of the players, the mentality. Now we can't fight for the Premier League trophy, so that's our main aim.”
But when asked if watching the Champions League from afar this season – City failed to make the last 16 – had made him more determined to get back there, Nunes said he had not bothered to watch any of the games on TV.
“No, I don't really watch football,” he said. “I just don't watch football. I don't know why. It's just because our daily routine is just full of football. You know, it's the same as if you worked in computers and you're going home, you don't want to then go straight to the computer.”
Nunes did admit it had been hard for City's players to change their mindset from winning the title to trying to secure a Champions League place for next season.
“I think so, especially for the guys who have been here longer,” said Nunes, in his second season at City. “I mean, they're used to always winning and fighting for the title.
“But also, they're very experienced players. So they know better than me that football is like this. Sometimes you go up, sometimes you go down.
“This is a journey, it's a rollercoaster and you have to be prepared for it. We now have a different aim than we had in the beginning of the season.
“Hopefully we can qualify for the Champions League and get through in the semi-final of the FA Cup and go to the final. The game against Villa was a pure example of how difficult the games can be. Nottingham Forest have been doing an amazing season and we have to be ready for it on Sunday."
Asked if winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League would constitute a successful season, Nunes said: “Of course not. We know this “The club's standards are much higher than this. We know that this is not the standard we want this club to be at.”