Bernardo Silva exclusive: Manchester City star says Pep Guardiola's side 'cannot accept' Bournemouth performance
Updated 05/11/2024 at 12:23 GMT
Bernardo Silva said Manchester City "cannot accept" the level of performance in their 2-1 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday. Silva described the loss as "frustrating" and called on his team-mates to "do their work" and put things right, as Pep Guardiola's side face Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday - live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Has Man City's confidence been dented by recent defeats?
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Manchester City "cannot accept" their performance levels in the 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday, Bernardo Silva said, calling on his team-mates to "do their work" and get back to winning ways against Sporting CP on Tuesday.
The UEFA Champions League encounter - which will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - serves as an opportunity for City to bounce back from the disappointment of back-to-back defeats, as well as surrendering their 32-match unbeaten Premier League run.
Pep Guardiola's side crashed out of the Carabao Cup in a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur before the Bournemouth reverse, and Bernardo found the Premier League defeat harder to swallow, delivering a scathing analysis of his side's performance.
"The first game against Tottenham away was a different one because a lot of rotations," he told TNT Sports. "I know that's not an excuse, but some players were rested, we had a lot of injuries; we couldn't play with the whole squad.
"The second game [was] a bit different because the Premier League is our main competition right now and everyone knows how important it is for us.
"They were just more intense than us. They were more intense, they were better than us, they won their duels and we didn't. We didn't do enough to win that game, so it was definitely well deserved for them.
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"It's very frustrating because to win a game where it just felt well they were better, it's a bit frustrating because we know that when we're at our level probably no one is better than us, but we weren't.
"We weren't good enough and that's really frustrating. I think we're experienced enough and we've been together long enough to know that these things may happen.
"They shouldn't and we try to make sure that they happen as less as possible, so even though we accept that sometimes they happen, we cannot accept it because the day we start accepting these kind of performances is the day that we stop winning and until now we haven't.
"Hopefully, the players individually will do their work to be better and to perform for the team, so the team can start winning games again."
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'Lovely guy' - Pep 'really pleased' that Amorim is coming to Premier League
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City will look to maintain their strong start to the Champions League campaign against fellow unbeaten side Sporting, who will be bidding a home farewell to outgoing manager Ruben Amorim, with the 39-year-old heading to Manchester United as Erik ten Hag's successor.
And the City playmaker feels the appointment of Amorim, who has led Sporting to 14 wins in their last 15 matches alongside two Primeira Liga titles during his reign, is an indication of Portugal's influence in world football.
"It's good," he said. "It's good seeing Portugal doing well in football in general. The players, the managers and having another manager in a top club is nice.
"It's a good representation of Portugal and yeah, I don't wish him very well obviously, because he's going to be my rival, but I think he did and has been doing an unbelievable job at Sporting and deserves this completely."
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Amorim has done an 'unbelievable job' at Sporting - Silva
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Compatriot Hugo Viana - sporting director at the Portuguese club - will also be heading to Manchester in the summer, but instead linking up with Guardiola at the Etihad as director of football.
Bernardo said the mass outgoings in Sporting's footballing staff is a "consequence" of their impressive work in the "last few years".
"Well I don't know him personally but it's going to be nice," he added. "It's a consequence of the work this club has been doing the last few years, when the sporting director and the manager they go in the same way.
"The ideas are obviously good because Ruben Amorim he has to be a good manager for the way Sporting has been playing for the last years.
"Work well together, the plan goes right, and the consequence is the sporting director and the manager leaving to two of the best clubs in the world right now.
"Probably not very good for Sporting to lose such important people in a month, but it's life. They did well."
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‘Sometimes the opponents are better’ - Man City ‘could not handle’ Bournemouth, says Guardiola
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PEP ON 'EMOTIONAL' GAME FOR SPORTING
Guardiola said he wants City to "play our game", and ignore what is set to be an "emotional" occasion in Lisbon, with highly successful boss Amorim bidding farewell to the home supporters.
Sporting are unbeaten in the European competition, but face their toughest challenge thus far in their outgoing manager's final home match, and Guardiola has urged his side to remain focused to continue their own strong start.
"Yes, of course the last game will be emotional for the players," he said. "The Champions League, so will be tough in that sense but there's a football game. Eleven against eleven, and we're going to try and defend as well as possible and play our game."
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Man City not at our best but we have to overcome this situation - Pep
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The City boss was drawn on whether Tuesday's clash against Amorim's side will be the start of many battles between the pair in the dugout, to which the Spaniard responded: "I don't think so. I think from outside, I don't know him, but from outside he looks like a lovely guy."
Tuesday's Champions League clash will also serve as the first opportunity for Guardiola to meet incoming director of football Viana, and the City boss said he is looking forward to welcoming the Sporting director to "a magnificent club".
"I would love to say hi after the game definitely because I didn't see him ever and yeah, say hi, and welcome to a magnificent club," Guardiola said.
How to watch UEFA Champions League on TNT Sports and discovery+?
Sporting CP v Manchester City will be streamed live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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