Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has criticised the Premier League’s fixture schedule, claiming it left his side at a disadvantage in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
Gabriel Martinelli struck in stoppage time at Emirates Stadium to rescue a point for the Gunners after City had only 66 hours to prepare following their midweek Champions League win over Napoli.
Arsenal, by contrast, had four full days to recover after beating Athletic Club in Bilbao. Silva argued that the difference in rest made a crucial top-of-the-table clash unfair.
“It is not right to play one of the most important games of the season with such a disadvantage,” the Portuguese international said, adding that he felt far from his best condition during the match.
City manager Pep Guardiola echoed Silva’s frustrations, insisting his players were “incredibly tired” going into the game.
Guardiola has previously complained that English clubs face tougher domestic schedules than their European rivals, particularly when competing deep into continental tournaments.
Despite Silva’s concerns, other English clubs competing in the Champions League faced similarly tight turnarounds.
Newcastle also played on Thursday night before a Sunday league match against Bournemouth, while Liverpool had an even shorter gap, playing Atletico Madrid on Wednesday and Everton in the Merseyside derby just over 62 hours later.
Chelsea also had three days between their trip to Bayern Munich and a league game against Manchester United.
Silva stressed he did not believe the league was deliberately trying to undermine City but called for “common sense” when scheduling marquee fixtures involving top clubs.
“It could happen to Arsenal or Liverpool in a few months,” he said. “But when it’s City v Arsenal, or Liverpool v City, there needs to be more understanding of the situation.”
City, who dropped to third in the Premier League after the draw, now face further congestion with a Carabao Cup tie later this week.
Five of England’s six Champions League sides are back in action just three days after their weekend matches, underlining the mounting strain on squads chasing success at home and abroad.
