Man City star Bernardo Silva reacts to Arsenal hypocrisy

Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva has challenged two contrasting allegations levied against his team as they continue to push Arsenal in the race for the Premier League. Some have argued that the Sky Blues’ experience should see them eventually prevail while others have suggested they don’t have the hunger due to their previous success with Silva calling on his team-mates to shut out the noise.

City currently sit eight points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table after both teams claimed comfortable 4-1 wins over Liverpool and Leeds respectively on Saturday. The Sky Blues have one game in hand while there is still one game to play between the two sides at the end of this month meaning there is plenty of time for the reigning champions to close the gap.

The significance of the game at the Eithad on the 26th has not been lost on Silva but the Portugal international has been keen to stress that they cannot afford to slip up before then. He also hit out at the contradictory statements made about his team as they challenge at the top of the Premier League.

“I think we’re playing our best football of the season,” Silva said after the win over Liverpool. “Where we are at the moment is the best we’ve played, by far.

“Arsenal can win it, but we’re going to fight until the end. It can go both ways. Some people say ‘City are more experienced’ and others say ‘oh, because they’ve won it in the past, they don’t want to win it any more’.

“For Arsenal, it’s the same. One day they don’t have enough experience to win it, but the next day it’s ‘oh they’re very hungry because they’ve never won it’.Experienced or inexperienced, they are there. They are very good and deserve to be there.

“It could be a very important game against them, but we have big games before then. If we slip up before then, it doesn’t matter what happens in that game.”

Silva was also keen to praise Jack Grealish after the Englishman’s man of the match display against Liverpool. The winger struggled at times during his first season in Manchester but has dramatically improved this season, becoming one of City’s best players in the second half of the season.

“Jack’s been really, really good,” Silva said. “Today, he was unbelievable. Sometimes it takes time. Now Jack is doing well and I’m really happy for him – he deserves it.

“The manager demands a lot from the players, it’s a different style of play to most of the other teams. You have to get used to it. He’s been here quite a long time and is used to it. When you have tough moments, you just have to keep going. There isn’t one player in the world who can be at the top of their game for their whole career.

“I’ve had my difficult moments as well. You just accept it and keep going. Jack accepted it and he overcame it. When he’s in this form, it’s really good for our team.”