Man City were knocked out by Lyon after a 3-1 defeat in Lisbon
Monday 17 August 2020 07:14, UK
Bernardo Silva says the Liverpool fans who targeted him on social media following Manchester City's Champions League exit are "pathetic".
The Portuguese midfielder, who was an unused substitute on Saturday night in Lisbon, took to Twitter on Sunday to express his disappointment following City's 3-1 defeat to Lyon in the quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old then revealed he had been targeted by Liverpool fans on social media following the loss and let his frustrations be known.
Silva said: "The 2019/2020 season has ended for us in a very disappointing way. To all the fans, we're sorry for this frustrating season. The only thing we can promise is that in 2020/2021 we'll fight a lot to do much better and get back to winning important things for you guys!
"And to all Liverpool fans that have nothing else to do than to come to a Man City player account, I'm also sorry for you but for the wrong reasons...pathetic... go celebrate your titles, or try to find a partner, drink a beer with a friend, read a book...so many options!"
Silva and the rest of the Manchester City squad are now taking a break from football before the new Premier League season begins from September 12.
Pep Guardiola gave an honest critique of City's shock Champions League exit to Lyon after they lost in the quarter-finals for the third successive season.
"One day we will break this gap," Guardiola told BT Sport. "The second half was OK, I had a feeling we were better but you have to be perfect in these competitions.
"I don't want to talk about the circumstances [of Dembele's first goal], it looks like I'm complaining or finding excuses. We are out. We did a lot of good things and in the end it was not enough.
"We made mistakes in both boxes at key moments and that's why we are out. We scored a magnificent goal but unfortunately we missed another one. You have to be perfect, you cannot make mistakes."
Analysis from Sky Sports' Ron Walker
City's wait to lift the Champions League goes on for at least another year, but Guardiola must shoulder some of the responsibility for a tough night in Lisbon.
The ease with which a Lyon side who, bar winning the whole tournament, will not even be playing in Europe next season after finishing seventh in Ligue 1, cut them apart in their 3-1 quarter-final defeat on Saturday night was no fluke, and little to do with nerves. There was a tactical masterclass on display, not unusual for games with Guardiola in one of the dugouts. What was far from usual was that it came from his opposite number.
Guardiola is not a man averse to tactical surprises, and not just for one-off games. Few other managers would have turned Javier Mascherano from world-class midfielder to ball-playing centre-back, for instance. But Pep is not other managers.
Even geniuses, enigmatic by nature, get it wrong. It is not all too unusual for eyebrows to be raised on glancing at a Manchester City team sheet, but they would have been even higher than normal come 7pm.
A back three to match up against a Lyon side who finished in mid-table in the abridged Ligue 1 season, with a notable lack of the technical genius that has underpinned the free-scoring success of Guardiola's City, had not been on the cards in most people's predicted line-ups.
No David Silva, no Bernardo Silva, no Phil Foden, no Riyad Mahrez. At least one had played in each of the 57 previous games this season. Only Kevin De Bruyne was the one creative wizard tasked with unlocking the Lyon defence, however. But even arguably the best midfielder in the world can only do so much on his own.
