Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Bernardo were angry during their post-match interview despite leading his team to their second consecutive FA Cup final. The renowned coach was furious at the fact that his players were made to just a few days after their UEFA Champions League knockout match against Real Madrid.
The Cityzens played against the Spanish giants last Wednesday. The match ended in a 1-1 draw at full-time and neither team was able to secure a victory during the extra time. The match then proceeded to a penalty shootout, where Real Madrid emerged as the winners and secured their place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Due to fatigue, Manchester City exhibited visible exhaustion in their match against Chelsea on Saturday. Their performance fell short of their usual standard, prompting Pep Guardiola to describe the decision to schedule them for Saturday instead of Sunday like Manchester United and Coventry Town who did not have a midweek game as unacceptable.
“It’s unacceptable to let us play today,” Guardiola said. “It’s impossible, for the health of the players. It’s not normal. It’s unacceptable. 120 minutes, the emotions of Madrid, the way we lose, honestly.”
The City boss claimed that he did not understand how they managed to survive against Chelsea, stating that such a schedule is bad for the players’ health.
“I know this country is special [with the FA Cup] but it’s for the health of the players. I don’t understand how we survived today.”
Asked whether he has raised it with authorities: “Do you think demanding will change something? The only power I have I say here. Why don’t we play tomorrow. Chelsea, Manchester United, Coventry didn’t play midweek.”
We Were Tired – Bernardo Silva Says, Support Guardiola’s claim
Bernardo Silva scored the only goal of the match on Saturday, sending his team to the final, he, however, admitted that they were tired after playing 120 minutes in the mid-week.
Similar to several of his teammates, the Portuguese footballer did not exhibit his typical level of performance throughout most of the match. However, despite not posing a significant threat to the opposing defense, he ultimately succeeded in scoring a goal at the 84th minute. His impressive finish from Kevin De Bruyne’s pass comfortably beat Chelsea’s goalkeeper and gave his side the victory.
Speaking after the match, the midfielder claimed playing three days after the 120 minutes against Real Madrid was not fair but they were happy to progress to the final stage of the competition.
“Physically we were so tired because we had two days to rest, and they had five or six. It’s not even fair to think that we had to play 120 minutes less than three days ago and Chelsea had five days to stay at home and think about this game.
“But it is what it is. And the way the team fought to give the happiness to our fans and the chance for them to come to Wembley again to fight for another FA Cup, we couldn’t be happier right now.”
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