Where some have questioned the desire of Manchester City’s players to claim more silverware after a period of dominance, this is often the time they show the fight to prove doubters wrong.
And, according to Bernardo Silva, even if that means disappointing old friends and the man they expected to replace Pep Guardiola as manager.
The City midfielder was not alone in being sad last summer when the popular Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus left to join an Arsenal side led by Mikel Arteta, who was Guardiola’s former assistant at the Etihad.
But Bernardo and his team-mates will put sentiment to one side to try to overhaul the table-topping Gunners and win a fifth Premier League title in six seasons.
“They are very special players, big friends,” he told Arab News exclusively. “Personally I was very sad to see them go and especially to a rival — and knowing that Arsenal were growing, getting better.
“You also know the manager that is there is so, so good because he worked with us. You could see from the beginning how special Mikel was — and he is showing it now,” the Portuguese international said ahead of City’s Premier League clash at Crystal Palace.
“We know how good he is and when you add to that young team, players with that kind of energy of Zinchenko and Gabriel, and it’s not going to be good for us.”
Arteta took charge of Arsenal in 2019 and has transformed them into title challengers.
Bernardo, who joined City in 2017 from Monaco and has won four league titles, added: “Mikel was very close to us. Apart from his knowledge of the game, he’s a very good guy and very demanding as well.
“It’s not easy with him. If you don’t do things properly he will shout at you and tell you the good way to do things. But he’s the right kind of manager that you want to have in this game.
Bernardo said that the City dressing room at the time felt that if one day Guardiola left, it would be Arteta who would take over.
“Mikel was very special to us and you could see how he understood the game in the same way as us, the players,” he said “So he would still be the perfect fit for when Pep leaves one day, although now it’s not so easy — with both Vincent Kompany and him.”
“Mikel’s doing very well and I’m happy for him — but I hope he doesn’t win it this season at least.”
It was about this time a year ago when City embarked on a run that would culminate in a dramatic final-day title triumph.
They won nine of their last 12 league games and pipped Liverpool by a point with a 3-2 win over Aston Villa, having been 2-0 down with 14 minutes left.
With City below-par at times this season, it has been suggested excessive success has seen the players drop their high standards.
Arsenal haven’t won the title since they went the entire 2003-04 campaign without losing a league game.
But Bernardo denied City were not hungry for more honors as he added: “That doesn’t make any sense, it’s not true.
“The dressing room, the players, we want it. We know how beautiful it is to win this competition and we’ve been fighting for it for six seasons since I arrived,” he said. “Personally, for as long as I stay here I will fight with all my strength to win as many as possible.”
“Our job is just to control what we can do on the pitch, do as best as possible. We know we have had some bad moments this season, some weird moments, weird games where we’ve dropped points where we shouldn’t,” Bernardo said.
He added that the City players have been in this position before and know they have a fight on their hands when chasing the leaders.
“It can help us because we have more experience of this situation, but then some people say it can help Arsenal because they are more hungry.
“It can go both ways. We are going to fight for sure and we are going to try to win it again.”
City host Arsenal at the Etihad on April 26 and Bernardo knows they cannot afford to drop points in the run-in.
“We know it’s going to be tough because Arsenal are doing very well,” he said.
“You need to control what you can control, which is your games and forget about Arsenal, and just win our games,” Bernardo said. “We have slipped a few times, weird games and we have been sloppy and we want to get to that momentum again.”
“We have to win every game. You get to the end of the season and you feel if you drop more points then you won’t have a chance of fighting for this title.”
While Bernardo was surprised about Zinchenko and Jesus going to the Emirates Stadium, he was less so when five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in December after leaving Manchester United.
The pair were team-mates for Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar and Bernardo said: “I’d heard some rumors, my agent was his agent at the time and we were together in the national team and we spoke a few times about that. So I wasn’t completely surprised Cristiano went there.
“It was his choice and all the best to him. It’s a different reality. I don’t follow enough of the Saudi league to know the level that he’s playing at, and to know how he can make an impact, but for sure Cristiano is a good example in terms of the career he has made so far and experience he has had.”
Bernardo said that Ronaldo’s new team-mates will benefit and learn from his presence.
“Definitely you can see how he works every day, he’s got his own plan, own physio, his own thing, and you see he is just very focused on trying to be as perfect as possible in terms of his game. His level of ambition is very high.”
The same can be said of Bernardo and City too.
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