Speaking after Manchester City’s goalless draw against Arsenal, Bernardo Silva admitted that the Cityzens are no longer the favourites to win the Premier League.
‘It’s a setback,’ he admitted post-match. ‘We’re definitely not happy because we wanted to get the win. They were very well organised. We started strong and then they got back into the game.’
‘[There were] two different phases – when we were building up, they were going man-to-man and were intense which is always tough and when we could get three or four passes together they would run back deep and their wingers would go almost in a line of six.’
‘[They’re a] top side to play against and a very tough game for both teams. It could have gone both ways, so I think it’s a fair result for everyone,’ he explained.
Embed from Getty ImagesReflecting on City’s performance, he merely said that his side ‘played okay.’
‘We weren’t very dominant, we didn’t create that many chances,’ he accepted, ‘but we kept the possession well and controlled the rhythms of the game. The way Arsenal defend – they are so competitive and it’s never easy to create chances.’
‘They’re a top defensive side and we were trying to get into the pockets to create little spaces to then give the chances to our strikers, but I didn’t feel we were very effective today. Of course, we wanted to win but we have to take the point and there’s a lot of games to happen.’
Manchester City are now third in the Premier League, trailing leaders Liverpool by three points with nine games still left to play. ‘Of course, we’re not the favourite anymore but we are still in this title race,’ insisted Silva.
‘We have to improve our game – that’s the only thing we can control and win our games and keeping everyone fit. If you want to win trophies, we need all of our players, so we need to take care of our bodies.’
