We are aiming for at least fourth – Nigel De Jong insists Manchester City can still finish third in Premier League

Nigel De Jong,Manchester City(Getty Images)

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Manchester City midfielder Nigel De Jong has issued a warning to Arsenal and Tottenham, declaring that a fourth-placed finish is the very least they expect from this season.

De Jong was in confident mood on Monday night after City’s 1-0 win against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, a result that moved them four points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham thanks to Edin Dzeko’s first Premier League goal.

The former-Hamburg man stressed the importance of the win in context with the results of teams around them, namely Spurs’ disappointing 2-2 draw with West Brom on Saturday, as well as Arsenal’s last minute loss at Bolton on Sunday, believing third place is still a possibility.

“Of course we have to aim for the highest position and a lot of rivals dropped points at the weekend and the only thing we can do is focus for the last couple of games and try and get three points every time we go out,” he told Sky Sports.

“The most important game of the weekend for us and we have to remain focused and you never know we could get third but at least fourth.”

The match was far from easy for City as Blackburn spent much of the second half on top, but were wasteful. However, City defended well when needed, with De Jong in particular acting as an effective shield.

“It was a little bit shaky in the second half,” De Jong added. “I think they came out much stronger and luckily we had the big-man Edin Dzeko to score his first goal in the Premier League, so from our point of view it’s a welcome three points and we just have focus on the next game.”

“Everybody knows their position in the team and the hard work pays off. We have a lot of quality in the team and you always need a couple of hard workers, it’s not only me.

“You could see the back four today, we kept a clean sheet today and it’s not only because of me. We have to give credit to the whole team.”

Dzeko’s goal was the Bosnian’s first strike in the Premier League, and while De Jong conceded it had been a difficult period for the January signing, he believes that the former Wolfsburg marksmen is improving.

“It’s been a tough couple of months for him Dzeko but he gets stronger and stronger each day and we’re happy that he scored today that gave us three points,” he continued.

“It’s a collective thing, not an individual thing and we are just happy that we can progress to the end of the season and collect a very welcome three points.”