{"id":10636,"date":"2025-09-26T10:27:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wedodis.co.za\/news\/?p=10636"},"modified":"2025-09-26T10:27:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T08:27:52","slug":"bernardo-silva-criticizes-premier-league-fixture-timing-following-arsenal-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedodis.co.za\/news\/bernardo-silva-criticizes-premier-league-fixture-timing-following-arsenal-match\/","title":{"rendered":"Bernardo Silva Criticizes Premier League Fixture Timing Following Arsenal Match"},"content":{"rendered":"
Bernardo Silva, the captain of Manchester City, has expressed his frustration towards the Premier League and UEFA regarding what he called unfair scheduling. This follows his team’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal in the English Premier League. The Portuguese midfielder noted that City only had 66 hours to recuperate after their 2-nil Champions League win over Napoli, which he believes put them at a significant disadvantage against a key rival.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Arsenal had the luxury of five full days to prepare for Sunday\u2019s critical match at the Emirates. Silva contended that this disparity not only affected his team’s performance but also detracted from the quality of the match, as City had to adopt a more defensive style than usual. Notably, sports expert Fabrizio Romano shared the player\u2019s sentiments on his official X account<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Haaland and Saliba in battle. Photo credit (Man City media)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Silva added:<\/p>\n

Bernardo Silva: We cannot come to one of the most important games [vs Arsenal] in the season with such a disadvantage, in terms of rest. It\u2019s not fair to play one of these games like this. It\u2019s just not right.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Despite acknowledging that he did not feel at his best, Silva clarified that his concerns were not solely about the outcome but rather about the logic of fixture arrangements.<\/p>\n

He commented:<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t mind playing every three or four days, don\u2019t mind playing 60 games. But what we ask for is common sense for one of biggest games of the season. I don\u2019t think they\u2019re trying to make us lose \u2013 it could happen to Arsenal or Liverpool in a few months.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He went on to disclose that numerous previous attempts by captains to address this issue with football governing bodies have not been met with acknowledgment.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t listen to us. It never changes. But when you have games like Arsenal vs City or City vs Liverpool, there has to be more common sense. Otherwise, it\u2019s not fair competition.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Silva emphasized that this problem extends beyond Manchester City, cautioning that Arsenal, Liverpool, or any other leading club could find themselves in a similar predicament in the future.<\/p><\/div>\n