Bernardo Silva Criticizes Manchester City Scheduling Disadvantage Against Arsenal

Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva has strongly criticized the scheduling of their recent 1-1 Premier League draw against Arsenal, arguing that the fixture planners lacked common sense and respect by giving City significantly less rest time. City played their Champions League match against Napoli on Thursday night and then faced Arsenal on Sunday, allowing only about two and a half days of recovery, whereas Arsenal had five days to prepare following their earlier Champions League match. Silva said this disadvantage in rest compromised City's performance and increased injury risk, citing the injury of teammate Abdukodir Khusanov as an example. He emphasized that such important matches require equal physical conditions for fairness and called for a minimum of three days of rest between high-profile games. Despite the scheduling concerns, Silva praised his team's resilience and effort during the match but expressed frustration that the lack of recovery time hindered their ability to perform at their best. Silva also noted that he would not have spoken out if City had lost, highlighting that the criticism stems from the unfair scheduling rather than any sour grapes.