"It is not fair to play one of these games like this. It is just not right. It cannot happen. I wasn't feeling in a perfect condition to play like this and people who have not played at the highest level don't know how it feels to play a game like this. You need to be at your best condition. We saw [Abdukodir] Khusanov getting injured [for City and going off at half-time] because these games demand a lot."
"Bernardo Silva has accused the fixture schedulers of lacking respect and common sense, saying they put Manchester City at such a physical disadvantage for Sunday's 1-1 draw at Arsenal that it was not fair and just not right. The City captain said he and his teammates could not be at their best level for one of the biggest games of the season after being asked to play in the Champions League on Thursday night; they beat Napoli 2-0 at home."
"It is not the amount of rest that Arsenal had that bothered Silva; rather City's lack of it. He said he would not have spoken out if his team had lost; he is conscious it might have sounded like sour grapes. But fortified by the result, which would have been even better had the substitute Gabriel Martinelli not equalised for Arsenal in the 93rd minute, Silva said that three days of rest had to be the bare minimum."
Manchester City played Arsenal to a 1-1 draw after facing Napoli in the Champions League four days earlier, leaving only two days of rest before the Arsenal match. Arsenal had four clear days' preparation following a midweek win over Athletic Bilbao. The compressed schedule created a significant physical disadvantage for City, reducing players' ability to perform at peak level and contributing to injury concerns, including substitute Abdukodir Khusanov leaving at half-time. Three days' rest should be the bare minimum. The narrow result was affected by late intervention, with Gabriel Martinelli equalising in the 93rd minute.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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