Bernardo Silva has slammed the Premier League after Manchester City were left short-changed in their blockbuster clash with Arsenal.
The City playmaker fumed that the champions were given just 66 hours to recover from their Champions League triumph over Napoli before facing Mikel Arteta’s side at the Emirates.
Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time strike cancelled out City’s opener to snatch a 1-1 draw, leaving Silva raging at the fixture list.
“It is not fair to play one of these games like this. It is just not right,” the Portugal star said. “We cannot go into one of the most important games of the season with such a disadvantage in terms of rest. I was not feeling in perfect condition. People who have not played at this level do not understand how hard it is. You need to be at your best.”
City beat Napoli 2-0 at the Etihad on Thursday night before the Sunday 4.30pm showdown with Arsenal. By contrast the Gunners enjoyed four full days’ preparation after their win over Athletic Club in Bilbao.
Pep Guardiola backed his player and admitted his side were “incredibly tired.” He has long warned that English clubs are handicapped in Europe by brutal scheduling. Back in January he accused the Premier League of handing out “the toughest schedules for the European teams in the important stages.”
Silva, who racked up 62 games for club and country last season, insisted he does not believe the league is deliberately targeting City but called for common sense. “It could happen to Arsenal or Liverpool in a few months. But when it is Arsenal v City or City v Liverpool these are huge games. There should be more understanding of the situation.”
Other Champions League sides were also pushed to their limits. Newcastle played Barcelona on Thursday then travelled to Bournemouth for a Sunday 2pm kick off. Liverpool had it even worse, hosting Atletico Madrid on Wednesday then playing Everton in the Merseyside derby at 12.30 on Saturday barely 62 hours later. Chelsea faced Bayern Munich on Wednesday before a Saturday trip to Manchester United. Tottenham had the luxury of four days off between their win over Villarreal and their clash with Brighton.
And the pressure will not ease. All six sides are back in action in the Carabao Cup this week. Five of them face their ties just three days after their league fixture with only Tottenham getting an extra day.
City are not alone in feeling the strain but Silva’s outburst shines a light on a brutal calendar that is leaving top players exhausted and tempers frayed.
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