'Liverpool always faced us head on' - Bernardo Silva opens in Manchester City's forced rivalry with Arsenal

Premier League champions Manchester City's mainstay Bernardo Silva has provided insight into the contrasting nature of their matches against Arsenal, their closest title rival, versus their encounters with Liverpool. 

Prior to Arsenal's resurgence in the 2022/23 season, where they defied expectations by finishing second after leading for most of the campaign, Liverpool was Manchester City's primary competitor in the league. The Reds trailed behind City on two occasions in their fiercely contested rivalry and outpaced Manchester City in one of those seasons.

Manchester City and Arsenal's Forced Rivalry 

In recent years, the matches between Arsenal and the Premier League champions have been characterized by tactical battles, with both teams evenly matched and effectively neutralizing each other's strengths compared to Liverpool who took a much more aggressive stance on the pitch.

This was evident in their most recent fixture at the Etihad, where Arsenal's solid defence held strong after a red card, while Manchester City found it challenging to break through.

Bernardo Silva's take on the fixtures against the Gunners

In a recent press Inter, Bernardo Silva discussed the varying levels of excitement in matches against Liverpool and Arsenal. He highlighted the fact that Liverpool, being English and European champions, bring a different level of competitive energy to the game compared to Arsenal, who have not secured major trophies recently. Silva suggested that this contrast in competitive intent affects the overall atmosphere and dynamics of the matches.

“Well, perhaps because Liverpool has already won the Premier League and Arsenal hasn’t,” he explained the difference between Manchester City's fixtures with the Gunners and those with the Reds. 

“Liverpool at that time had also won a UCL, while Arsenal hasn’t. Liverpool always faced us head-on to win matches. From that perspective, our games against Arsenal haven’t been like the matches against Liverpool were and still are.”- he added