Bernardo Silva branded the tough day of the sport, denounced the “disgrace” shown to Manchester City during the clash at Arsenal. The Portuguese midfielder has accused schedule planners of hindering their ability to perform in North London.
The match ended with a dramatic draw after Gabriel Martinelli’s late equalizer canceled the opener for Erling Haaland, losing the “unfair conditions” the city played. The Champions League fixture schedule is at the heart of Silva’s complaints, with City facing Napoli on Thursday night, much behind Arsenal’s Tuesday match in Bilbao.
Guardiola may have been silent to make post-match comments, but Silva was open following a 1-1 draw. “We’re saying this because we didn’t lose. If we lost, I wouldn’t say this,” he declared. “But in reality, in terms of rest, you can’t come to one of the most important games of the season at such a disadvantage.”
He continued his criticism.
“It was five days to them, we were two and a half days. In one of the most important games, this can’t happen. I wasn’t in the best condition to play like this.
“They don’t listen to us. That’s what it is. We want to change something. But that never changes. It’s really not important, but for the fans, I don’t think what happened today is good because of the club’s respect and the fairness of the competition.”
Silva’s concerns are expected to be ignored. Changing the schedule requires complex scenarios due to broadcast commitments, as unprecedented collaboration between football governing bodies. The timing of the city’s match against Arsenal, set by the Premier League Broadcasting Station prior to the announcement of UEFA’s Champions League fixtures, is at the heart of this issue.
This is not the first time that such a collision has occurred. Arsenal faced a similar situation last season. Europa League participants will also regularly deal with Sunday matches after Thursday nights.
However, Silva’s complaints are perceived as having the advantages given to one team in major Premier League showdowns rather than the quick turnaround itself.
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“Schedule is a schedule and I understand that you have different competitions, UEFA, the Premier League and the broadcasters want to make their money, and I understand all that,” continued Silva.
“We don’t care about playing every three or four days. We don’t care about playing 60 games, because we’re used to it.
“And that’s not our fault. I don’t think they’re trying to make us lose the game. That could happen to Arsenal and Liverpool in a few months.
“But when you’re playing Arsenal vs. City or City vs. Liverpool vs. Arsenal, you need to have a bit of common sense and understand these situations, and in such a critical game, the players need to be in the same physical state – otherwise I think it’s fair.
“We can lose every game in good conditions and bad circumstances, but we need the same level of respect and common sense to compete.
“We didn’t feel like we were in the same condition as them today.
“I felt a difference in the first half. Playing at the highest level means that the two days you’ll play against one of the best teams in the league along with your trip will take at least a day to recover.
“It doesn’t matter if Arsenal is four, five or six days (to recover), give him another day. It gives him three and a half days and then it’s a uniform game.
