Bernardo Silva’s fury after Wembley winner underlines muddled priorities of the modern FA Cup
After a big win at Wembley, one garnered late in the day against a top team who could and should have snatched victory themselves, the scene in the dressing room afterwards is normally one of euphoria.
Even for a club like Manchester City, so used to sweeping aside all who dare to cross their path, reaching a final still evokes the same feeling, no matter how many times it happens – it’s gratification for all the hard work they do every day behind the scenes.
Yet, as players made their way to the team bus on Saturday night, after Bernardo Silva ensured there was to be more Wembley heartache for Chelsea as the FA Cup holders booked another final spot, the champions looked anything but pleased.
You can tell how tired Kevin De Bruyne is by the complexion of his skin, which after another gruelling 90 minutes, three days on from an attritional Real Madrid taking City to extra time, was more beetroot than peach.
His manager had already gone in on the schedulers and Bernardo Silva didn’t need asking twice as journalists offered him the opportunity to let his true feelings be known.
“Today we didn’t play on a level field because the FA didn’t give us a chance to recover,” he said. “Which in my opinion is not reasonable at all. I’m just saying because we won. If we didn’t win, I wouldn’t say because I don’t like to find excuses. But today I don’t think it’s acceptable we have to play.
“It’s too much. Today was too much. We played 120 minutes less than three days ago, and we had to play against a team that didn’t travel because they’re from London. And they had five days waiting for us and thinking about our game. There’s no excuse for the game to not be tomorrow (Sunday).
“It looks like they don’t care because we’ve said it many times. It’s not about wanting to be favourites, it’s about health. I played 90 minutes today. Me, Kevin, Phil (Foden). I wasn’t fine at all. I wasn’t fine. I’ll be honest.”
Whenever any top level footballer brings up their workload, he or she will immediately gain a split reaction. Poor them, having to kick a ball around for another hour and a half for hundreds of thousands of pounds, the naysayers will say.
But Silva is well within his rights to feel the powers that be, while they claim to be concerned for player welfare – as this week’s controversial decision to scrap FA Cup replays shows – have their priorities all wrong. The ones who remain top concern are the real power brokers in any scheduling decision – TV companies.
As is often the case in these situations – the idea of lessening the workload in a congested fixture list has some credence behind it, but the execution is lacking, while the intentions are not quite as they seem.
What is most frustrating of all is that there was such an easy way out. With Manchester United not in action in Europe in midweek, and Coventry also free, why not switch the two around? Because broadcasters said so.
The way City condition their players, they are a close to robotic as human beings get, which makes it easy to forget about their welfare too. They live and breathe every goal, every miss like any fan, if not more so. It wasn’t just physical strain Silva was under after his chastening penalty miss against Madrid cost his side dearly.
“It was tough,” he added. “First night, I didn’t sleep much, second night, you sleep a bit better, the third night you sleep almost the whole night, but it is what it is,” he added. “I had two options, I had in my mind one of the sides, I’m not going to tell you which, and the middle, I was waiting, I wanted to be the second or the third penalty to see the reaction from the ‘keeper in the first or the first two penalties. And he moved early, that’s why I thought middle was good but he chose not to move and fair play to him.
“It’s football, it’s our profession, and we have to deal with those emotions. It’s the physical part that I think it’s a little bit less acceptable.”
City now have four days break until their Premier League clash with Brighton, but the fixtures continue to come thick and fast, with a tricky trip to Nottingham Forest to follow on Sunday.
They have the squad to cope, but their key players, the undroppable Rodris and De Bruynes of this world, must dust themselves down and go again.
It just really shouldn’t have to be this way. And it is only going to get worse.
