Bernardo Silva: 'Man City are back at their best'
"I think Man City are playing the best football of the season," Silva said after the win in the 29th round of the Premier League. "It was the best performance from the start of the season. Arsenal may win the title, but we will fight to the end. Things can go either way."
In the great battle at the Etihad Stadium on April 1, Liverpool were inferior when they only controlled the ball 31% and finished one shot on target - Mohamed Salah's left foot opening phase. Meanwhile, Man City shot 17 times with eight on target, and scored four goals thanks to Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish.
However, the army under Pep Guardiola could not close the gap with the top of the table when Arsenal also defeated Leeds with a score of 4-1 in the late match. "Gunners" currently have 72 points, eight points ahead of Man City and played more than one match.
Silva denies City are no longer hungry to win four of the last five seasons, or take advantage of having more experience than Arsenal. The Portuguese midfielder added: "The same thing happened with Arsenal. One day, they didn't have enough experience to race for the championship. But then Arsenal took the advantage with great desire because they had not won it for a long time. Arsenal is a strong club and deserves to be at the top of the table."
Silva also praised Jack Grealish - who contributed one assist and one goal in the win over Liverpool - finding his best form after a record $ 139 million deal in the summer of 2021. According to the Portuguese midfielder, Grealish had many difficulties in his career. first season at Man City, like himself or Riyad Mahrez.
"People think you join one of the best clubs in the world, start and be the best player every game. But things don't work out that way," Silva explained. "Coach Pep Guardiola demands a lot from the players, because Man City has a different style of play than most teams. You have to get used to it and sometimes it takes time."
Man City will host Arsenal at Eithad on April 26 - the great battle that can decide the crown this year, but Silva thinks it's too early to think about that match. He said: "It could be a very important game for Arsenal, but we have big games before that. If we stumble before that, then what happened against Arsenal is not very meaningful. ".
Before the big battle at Etihad, Man City also met Southampton and Leicester in the English Premier League, two Champions League quarter-finals with Bayern and Sheffield United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Meanwhile, Arsenal only play in the Premier League, and meet Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton in turn.
