Bernardo Silva hits out at unfair advantage given to Arsenal ahead of Manchester City clash | OneFootball

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva has slammed decision makers over the scheduling of his side’s clashes against Napoli and Arsenal last week.

The Portugal international, who wore the armband for Pep Guardiola’s side at the Emirates Stadium, was visibly frustrated after Manchester City conceded a stoppage-time equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

The result followed on from a physically draining UEFA Champions League opening tie against Italian champions Napoli just three days earlier – a turnaround Bernardo Silva believes unfairly disadvantaged his team.

Manchester City defeated the Serie A title holders 2-0 in a high-intensity clash, only to then face a quick recovery and a long trip to London. Arsenal, meanwhile, enjoyed almost five days of rest following their Champions League meeting with Athletic Club in midweek.

The issue of congested timetables is not a new one for Pep Guardiola’s squad, who have consistently been among the busiest in Europe across multiple competitions. Guardiola himself was involved in a spiky exchange with one broadcaster on Sunday over the same subject, making it clear that injuries and fatigue remain a growing concern within his group.

Speaking in the aftermath of Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Bernardo Silva hit out at fixture scheduling decision makers regarding the time allocated between Champions League and Premier League commitments.

“I’m saying this because we didn’t lose. If we lost, I wouldn’t say this. But the reality is we can’t come to one of the most important games in the season with such a disadvantage, in terms of rest. It’s not fair to play one of these games like this. It’s just not right,” said Bernardo Silva.

“They had five days, we had two and a half. In one of the most important games, this can’t happen. I wasn’t feeling in a perfect condition to play like this, and people who haven’t played at the highest level don’t know how it feels to play a game like this,” he continued.

“They don’t listen to us. It is what it is. We’d like to change something. But it never changes. It doesn’t really matter, but for the fans, the respect of the clubs, for the fairness of the competition, I don’t think what happened today was good.”

The Manchester City captain offered further thoughts on scheduling, “I understand you have different competitions and UEFA, the Premier League, and broadcasters want to make their money and I understand all those things.

“We don’t mind playing every three or four days, we don’t mind playing 60 games because we’re used to that. But what we ask for is common sense because this is one of the biggest games of the season. And it’s not because of us. I don’t think they’re trying to make us lose.

“It could happen to Arsenal or Liverpool in a few months. But when you’re playing Arsenal vs City or City vs Liverpool or Liverpool vs Arsenal, you need to have a bit of common sense and understanding of these situations and in such an important game, the players need to be in the same physical conditions – otherwise I don’t think it’s fair.”

He added, “I know it might have happened to other teams in the past. We can lose any game in good or bad conditions, but we need the respect and common sense to be at the same level to compete. Today it didn’t feel like we were in the same physical condition as them.”

“I felt the difference in the first half. If you play at the highest level you know two days playing against one of the best teams in the league, away, with the travel, you need at least one more day to recover.

“It doesn’t matter if Arsenal had four, five or six days, just give us one more day, and that gives us three-and-a-half days, and then you make it an even game. Two-and-a-half-days isn’t enough to recover our bodies and perform at the highest level. It’s just not enough.”

The midfielder’s outspoken criticism follows similar comments from Pep Guardiola, who has repeatedly called for more balance in scheduling when elite clubs face back-to-back fixtures against top rivals.

Manchester City’s cause has not been helped by ongoing injury concerns throughout their squad, with John Stones only recently returning to action on Sunday, and Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Omar Marmoush all sidelined, now joined by Abdukodir Khusanov.

Looking ahead, the Premier League and broadcasters are unlikely to overhaul their current model, but Bernardo Silva’s words add further weight to growing calls for more consideration of player welfare.

As the season progresses, with key title-deciding fixtures to come against Arsenal and Liverpool, the impact of fixture congestion may yet play a decisive role in shaping the destiny of the Premier League crown.