Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has said that his side will bounce back amid a poor run of form. The Portuguese midfielder acknowledged City's problems, noting that the only way to recover is to take it one game at a time.
City went winless in seven games across competitions, losing six - the longest winless run in the Pep Guardiola era at the club. They snapped the streak by beating Premier League high-flyers Nottingham Forest 3-0 last week but were held to a 2-2 draw by a struggling Crystal Palace side at the weekend.
Silva bagged a goal in the win and an assist in the Palace draw, showcasing his quality. However, he re-emphasized the need to improve as a team to turn the Cityzens' season around.
After the Palace game, where goalscorer Rico Lewis got a red card (84'), the 30-year-old said (via Irish News):
"We have to do better as a team. I don’t want to talk about individuals. Obviously it was bad that (Lewis) got sent off. I didn’t check the tackle yet, I don’t know if it’s a correct one or not, but what I can say is it was a good goal, it gave us a point, which is better than zero, but we have to do better."
When asked if he's concerned about City's results, the Portuguese playmaker added:
"It's football. We accept the moments. We accept the problems that we have, and the only way to come back from this is work even harder, fight harder, and go game by game. So now we go to Juve(ntus), the Champions League, we need some points, and we are going to fight very hard for that."
This season, Silva has two goals and four assists in 21 appearances for Manchester City across competitions.
"It's not good enough" - Manchester City star Bernardo Silva bemoans Crystal Palace draw
Manchester City star Bernardo Silva laid into the lack of squad depth after City limped to a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday (December 7).
City were missing seven first-team players at Selhurst Park - Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, John Stones, Oscar Bobb, Mateo Kovacic, Rodri and Phil Foden. The lack of options meant that manager Pep Guardiola could make only two substitutions - Jeremy Doku for Savinho (79') and Jack Grealish for Kevin De Bruyne (86').
Speaking to Sky Sports, Silva said that the squad depth issues must be addressed soon (via Manchester World):
"We have to solve our problems in terms of injuries because that is so important. If the squad is this short it is always difficult for the players to play. We don't feel sorry for ourselves and we have to fight anyway, but the reality right now is that it is not good enough."
Up next, Manchester City take on Juventus in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (December 11).