"The reality is we cannot come in to one of the most important games in the season with such a disadvantage, in terms of rest. It is not fair to play one of these games like this. It is just not right. They had five days [to recover], and we had two and a half days. In one of the most important games, this cannot happen."
"It is just not enough. 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 because these games demand a lot. I feel it is just frustrating that we couldn't be at our best level simply because of the decision."
Manchester City drew 1-1 with Arsenal after Gabriel Martinelli equalised late to cancel Erling Haaland's first-half goal. City faced the match 66 hours after beating Napoli in the Champions League, while Arsenal began European competition two days earlier. Pep Guardiola named an unchanged side from the Napoli win. Bernardo Silva criticised the scheduling and claimed City had insufficient recovery, saying Arsenal had five days to recover versus City’s two and a half. Silva linked the compressed schedule to reduced performance and injuries, citing Abdukodir Khusanov as an example of the physical toll.
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