Manchester City may be chasing in the Premier League table, but Bernardo Silva sounded very comfortable when talking about the title race with Arsenal.
Speaking to Brazilian journalist Fred Caldeira about the battle at the top, the Portuguese midfielder acknowledged that Manchester City are not leading right now. Still, he could not resist a reminder that came with a familiar edge.
“It’s difficult to say, because my past experiences show that Liverpool have won the league twice since I arrived in England, and we won seven. I have never experienced Arsenal winning the league.”
It was a quiet line, delivered calmly, but the message was obvious. Bernardo has been here before. Arsenal, at least in his Premier League career, have not.
The Manchester City midfielder accepted that Mikel Arteta’s side currently hold the advantage. However, he also suggested the picture can change quickly.“The truth is that at this moment they are in a better position than us.”
Unfortunate situation after a slow start
Bernardo Silva
Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva
Bernardo explained that City made life harder for themselves early in the season. According to him, that was the moment when an emotional edge could have been built.
“Unfortunately, we started the year in a very negative way, at a moment when we could have built an emotional advantage, but we didn’t manage to do it.”
Even so, he hinted Arsenal missed chances of their own.“At the same time, they also had a chance to pull away more and they didn’t manage it, which gave us a bit of hope.”
However, with many games still to play, Bernardo made it clear that City are far from done.“There are still many games to play. Every season is different, but we have all the hope and all the ambition to fight for this Premier League, without a doubt.”
So for now, City may be the ones chasing, yet the Portuguese midfielder sounded far from impressed by the gap. Bernardo’s words served as a reminder that title races are not won in January, and that experience still counts when the pressure rises.