TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand says Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea should have been played on Sunday.

The Premier League champions had just two days to recover from their defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League and, speaking about the FA’s decision to play the fixture on the 20th of April, instead of the 21st, Ferdinand remarked:

“It was out of order I don’t understand why they didn’t just play on Sunday, that was out of order, I think.”

The lack of preparation didn’t ultimately cost the Cityzens, with Bernardo Silva’s goal late in the second half sealing a narrow 1-0 win at Wembley. However, manager Pep Guardiola was far from happy about the FA’s lack of flexibility.

What did Guardiola say about the FA Cup semi-final date?

Speaking after the win on Saturday, the 53-year-old did not hold back in his criticism, stating that the decision to play on Saturday had made life very difficult for his players due to the lack of recovery time:

“It’s unacceptable to let us play today. It’s impossible, for the health of the players. It’s not normal. One hundred and twenty minutes, the emotions of Madrid, the way we lose, honestly. I know this country is special [with the FA Cup] but it’s for the health of the players.”

City’s schedule won’t let up over the next month

Guardiola’s men have six more games to play between now and the final day of the season on May 19th. They face Brighton at the Amex on Thursday night before a trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend.

After the match at the City Ground, the reigning champions do have a 6-day break before they take on Wolves at home. However, their final three fixtures against Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham take place in the same week.