The whistle blew, marking a 1-1 draw between Manchester City and Arsenal. City had led, but couldn’t hold on, watching their rivals pull level late in the game. Yet, for Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, the final score wasn’t the biggest story. He believed a huge gap in rest days between the two teams hit City hard. This led him to strongly criticize how this crucial match, involving two top English title contenders, was scheduled.
“If we had lost, I wouldn’t be saying this,” Bernardo told the British press after the match. “But we cannot go into one of the season’s most important games with such a big rest disadvantage. It’s simply not fair to play a game like this under these conditions. It’s just not right.” He explained that Arsenal enjoyed five days of recovery time. City, however, had only two and a half days to prepare. “This cannot happen in a game of such importance,” he stressed.
The Portuguese international pointed out the calendar quirk. Arsenal had played their Champions League match on Tuesday against Athletic Bilbao. Manchester City’s own European clash came much later, on Thursday night, facing Napoli. This meant City’s players had over 50 fewer hours to rest and recover than their Arsenal counterparts.
Bernardo openly admitted he wasn’t feeling his best for the contest. “Anyone who hasn’t played at the top level doesn’t truly grasp what these matches demand,” he explained. “You need to be in peak physical shape.” He even brought up Khusanov’s injury, showing how much these games drain players. “I’m frustrated we couldn’t perform at our very best, all because of someone’s choice to make us play with two and a half fewer days of rest than Arsenal,” he added. Despite the hurdles, he noted City still showed good fight and teamwork, sticking to their game plan.
The City playmaker wasn’t done making his point. “We aren’t asking for fewer games,” he clarified. “We don’t mind playing every three or four days, or even 60 matches a season. We are used to that schedule.” What he and his teammates really want is simply common sense. He emphasized that this match was one of the season’s biggest. The issue isn’t about City alone, but about the bigger picture of fair competition.
“I don’t think anyone is trying to make us lose,” Bernardo reflected. “This kind of situation could easily happen to Arsenal or Liverpool in a few months.” He believes that for major clashes, like Arsenal versus City or City versus Liverpool, organizers need to show better judgment. Players in such vital games deserve to be in similar physical shape. If not, he doesn’t see it as a fair contest. While he knows other teams have faced similar issues, he felt a clear physical disadvantage against Arsenal.