Bernardo Silva's Message: The Arsenal Backlash and the Need for Man City to Raise the Bar

Bernardo Silva’s Message: The Arsenal Backlash and the Need for Man City to Raise the Bar

Bernardo Silva of Manchester City has spoken about his team’s Premier League title race with Arsenal.

Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva has responded to two disparate allegations leveled against his team as they continue to push Arsenal for the Premier League title. Some argue that the Sky Blues’ experience should see them triumph, while others argue that they lack hunger as a result of their previous success, with Silva urging his teammates to drown out the noise.

City are currently eight points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table after both teams defeated Liverpool and Leeds 4-1 on Saturday. The Sky Blues have one game in hand, and there is still one game between the two sides at the end of this month, so the reigning champions have plenty of time to close the gap.

The importance of the game at the Eithad on the 26th has not gone unnoticed by Silva, but the Portugal international has been emphatic that they cannot afford to slip up before then. He also slammed the contradictory statements made about his team as they compete for first place in the Premier League.

“I think we’re playing our best football of the season,” Silva said following his team’s victory over Liverpool. “Where we are right now is by far the best we’ve played.”

“Arsenal can win it, but we’re going to fight until the end. It can go both ways. Some people say ‘City are more experienced’ and others say ‘oh, because they’ve won it in the past, they don’t want to win it any more’.

“For Arsenal, it’s the same. One day they don’t have enough experience to win it, but the next day it’s ‘oh they’re very hungry because they’ve never won it’.Experienced or inexperienced, they are there. They are very good and deserve to be there.

“It could be a very important game against them, but we have big games before then. If we slip up before then, it doesn’t matter what happens in that game.”

Silva was also quick to praise Jack Grealish for his performance as man of the match against Liverpool. The winger struggled at times during his first season in Manchester but has improved dramatically this season, becoming one of City’s best players in the second half.

“Jack’s been really, really good,” Silva said. “Today, he was unbelievable. Sometimes it takes time. Now Jack is doing well and I’m really happy for him – he deserves it.

“The manager demands a lot from the players, it’s a different style of play to most of the other teams. You have to get used to it. He’s been here quite a long time and is used to it. When you have tough moments, you just have to keep going. There isn’t one player in the world who can be at the top of their game for their whole career.

“I’ve had my difficult moments as well. You just accept it and keep going. Jack accepted it and he overcame it. When he’s in this form, it’s really good for our team.”