Bernardo Silva expressed frustration with the Premier League timetable following Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium.
The Portuguese international said his team was at a clear disadvantage, having just 66 hours to recover from Thursday’s 20:00 Champions League match against Napoli before Sunday’s 16:30 domestic fixture.
Gabriel Martinelli’s late strike denied City victory after they had led for most of the game. Silva admitted he did not feel fully fit, insisting that top players need more recovery time for matches of such importance.
Pep Guardiola echoes player concerns
Manager Pep Guardiola agreed that his squad looked drained during the contest in north London.
Back in January, Guardiola had already warned that English clubs suffer in Europe because of how matches are arranged, with the biggest encounters often placed in the most demanding periods.
Silva, who featured 62 times for club and country last season, said he did not believe there was intent to harm City’s chances but stressed that matches between title rivals such as City, Arsenal, or Liverpool require more careful planning.
Comparison with other Champions League sides
While Arsenal benefited from a longer gap after their win in Bilbao on Tuesday, several other English clubs also had limited turnaround times.
Newcastle, who hosted Barcelona on Thursday evening, played at Bournemouth at 14:00 on Sunday. Liverpool’s schedule was even tighter: after beating Atlético Madrid on Wednesday, they faced Everton at 12:30 on Saturday, just 62.5 hours later.
Chelsea was away to Bayern Munich on Wednesday before meeting Manchester United on Saturday. Tottenham, however, enjoyed more breathing space, playing Villarreal on Tuesday and Brighton on Saturday.
All six clubs are in Carabao Cup third-round action this week. Five sides have only three days to prepare, with Tottenham the exception, having an extra day before their tie.
Last season, Chelsea also endured shorter breaks compared to City, particularly after the Club World Cup, with City exiting earlier in the Champions League.