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‘Irreplaceable’ Bernardo is City’s most underrated legend

Published

11 months ago

November 4, 2023

Man City’s most underrated legend: Bernardo Silva truly is ‘irreplaceable’ – keeping him was Pep Guardiola’s best bit of summer business

The Portuguese maestro has been the one making the Premier League champions tick for years, and deserves far more credit

Manchester City’s emergence as the dominant force in English, and indeed European football, has been underpinned by their exceptional recruitment record – with huge investments only being signed off after extensive deliberation behind the scenes.

The likes of Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Kevin De Bruyne have all established themselves as modern-day legends at the Etihad Stadium over the past decade as City have filled up their trophy cabinet with numerous domestic honours, and a maiden Champions League crown. That long-awaited continental triumph came last season, with Erling Haaland painted as the main hero for Guardiola’s treble-winning side after a stunning 52-goal debut year in Manchester.

The likes of Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Ruben Dias also received plenty of plaudits, but the most important member of the team went under the radar once again. Bernardo Silva has been City’s puppet-master ever since his £43 million ($53m) move to City from Monaco in 2017, dictating the pace of games and subtlety directing his team-mates on how best to cause maximum damage in opposition territory.

Bernardo is not a prolific goalscorer, and isn’t the man City rely on to create the bulk of their chances – but he is their orchestrator, and works harder than anyone else in the squad. The Portugal international is also one of the most skilful players of his generation, and his versatility has been essential to his club’s unprecedented success under Guardiola.

City would simply not be where they are today without Bernardo. And by convincing him to sign a three-year contract extension in August, Guardiola ensured that the Blues would remain the team to beat at home and abroad in 2023-24…

City stayed on the coattails of early 2023-24 pacesetters Tottenham after thrashing Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford last Sunday. Haaland bagged a brace before Phil Foden rounded off the scoring and, in the end, United were lucky not to lose by a far wider scoreline.

Haaland got most of the headlines after another ruthless display in front of goal, but it was Bernardo who went away with the Man-of-the-Match award, and rightly so. The 29-year-old circulated possession for City throughout the 90 minutes, and chose his moments to venture further forward wisely.

He carved out three clear chances, including the assist for Haaland’s second goal with a beautifully flighted cross to the back post. United were picked apart at will, particularly in the second half, with Bernardo wreaking havoc in small pockets of space.

It was nothing short of a masterclass from the diminutive Portuguese, who tends to save his very best performances for the biggest games. The first Manchester Derby of the season is always a pressure-cooker, but Bernardo knew exactly how to lead his team to victory.

“When we come to these kinds of places, for example Anfield, for example Old Trafford, we know what teams are waiting for,” he said to Sky Sports. “They’re waiting for us to lose the ball and to counter. So it’s all about the build-up and not losing simple balls, controlling the game and being slow in the first metres of our half and in the goal kicks and our half of the pitch. Then, when we break through, be quick in attack, and that’s what we did really well in the second half.”

Bernardo was deployed in a deeper role against United, with Guardiola boasting the luxury of being able to rotate his position from game to game. He can play as a more traditional central midfielder, a No.10, a winger, or even as a full-back – as he demonstrated masterfully in a 3-1 victory against Arsenal last season.

City’s build-up play wouldn’t be nearly as fluid without Bernardo, but he also plays an equally crucial role in defence. He’s key to their press and his natural ability to read the game helps to shut down the opposition’s passing lanes.

Bernardo has been singled out as one of the best playmakers of his generation because of his incisive passing and ingenuity. But the main reason that he’s been the first name on Guardiola’s team sheet over the last six years is because he puts in the hard graft every single week.

Indeed, no City player travelled more kilometres per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season (11.8). He also sat top of the pile for total ball carry distance per 90 minutes among the division’s central midfielders (229 metres), and regained possession in the attacking third more than any other player in the Champions League.

“I believe that it doesn’t matter which position you play, in football everyone attacks and everyone defends, so in different positions you need to defend in different ways,” Bernardo said after starring on the right flank in City’s 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Bayern Munich back in April. “Even if you’re a striker or a winger or an offensive midfielder, you need to do your work properly to help the team defensively.”

Bernardo’s influence at City may not be highlighted as often as it should be, but Guardiola has a deep appreciation for the former Monaco man. “Bernardo is so important for us, for me personally because of the relationship I have with him,” the Spanish tactician told a press conference in early October.

“Always I like to have relations. Tight relations with some players is possible, for the other ones is not because everyone has his own character, myself first. Bernardo is so special.”

City have a number of flashy players who clearly love the spotlight, including Haaland and Jack Grealish. Bernardo joined the duo as one of City’s highest earners when penning fresh terms at the start of the season, but he still prefers to keep a low profile and always lets his football do the talking.

“He wears no earrings, no tattoos, drives a normal car… He is an incredible player for us,” Guardiola told reporters after City’s win over United. “He is one of the best players I’ve ever seen in my life, I am lucky to train a lot of top-class players and he is one of the best and one of the best for how clever he is.”

Bernardo was heavily linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium in the summer transfer window amid reported interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. No one was more relieved when he decided to stay put than Guardiola, who had already seen Gundogan head to Camp Nou after letting his contract run down.

”He’s humble and everybody loves him in the locker room. We were scared to lose him. He’s irreplaceable,” the City boss added. It was clear to see how much Bernardo is valued by his team-mates when he held a post-derby interview with Sky Sports alongside Haaland.

“This guy was impressive today,” the Norwegian said with a wry smile. “I totally agree [he deserves Man of the Match]. I love you, just like Pep does!”

During City’s treble parade back in June, Grealish went viral several times for his boozy antics, but there was also a heartwarming moment that saw him beg Bernardo to stay at the club as Ruben Dias, Foden and Ederson all huddled around the Portugal star.

Bernardo also enjoys a well-documented bromance with John Stones, who revealed that the City talisman named his dog after him in a hilarious interview with GOAL last year. The team spirit within the European champions’ ranks is clearly bolstered the presence of Bernardo, and supporters will be praying that 2023-24 won’t be his last season in their famous blue shirt.

There is, however, a very real possibility of Bernardo pulling the curtain down on his City career in 2024. Fabrizio Romano has reported that a £50m ($62m) release clause was included in his new contract, which is set to become active next summer.

It could easily be argued that Bernardo is worth at least double that amount, given how consistent he has been throughout his glittering spell in Manchester. There will surely be a long list of suitors aiming to snap up Guardiola’s prized asset for a bargain fee come the end of the season.

Barcelona and PSG will likely be among them once again, and it would be no surprise if he were to become a primary target for the Saudi Pro League amid their ongoing bid to become a global footballing powerhouse.

Bernardo openly admitted that he doesn’t see himself retiring at the Etihad in an interview with Record in January. He also raised the possibility of a return to Benfica, the club that gave him his start as a fresh-faced teenager in 2013.

“I won’t hide that my goal in the coming years, if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project,” he said. “If you ask me: what did you think 10 years ago? My goal was to return to Benfica at the age of 32 at the most. I’m not going to lie: it’s not something I don’t think about. I think about it every year. It has always been a goal.”

If this does indeed prove to be his final season on City’s books, Bernardo will do everything he can to make sure he goes out on a high. The prospect of lifting a record-breaking fourth successive Premier League title excites him most, as he told the club’s official website after signing his new contract: “When you think that no-one ever did it before, if you do it, it always makes you feel a bit more special in terms of we created something in history.

“And if we do it, it’s not going to be easy for anyone else to do it again, because this country, the number of teams that fight for this title every year is just ridiculous. It doesn’t happen anywhere else. And we’re very motivated to achieve that.”

City are yet to get into top gear, and the title race seems to be wide open, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham all looking formidable after strengthening their squads in the transfer market. But it’s no secret that the champions tend to unleash their full power at the business end of the season.

Guardiola has assembled the best squad in the Premier League and can call upon two or three top-class players in every position, with injuries rarely taking them off course as a result. City are missing De Bruyne, who has been ruled out indefinitely with a serious hamstring issue, but Bernardo has stepped up to fill that creative void alongside Julian Alvarez.

City have already exited the Carabao Cup, but there is no reason why they cannot go on and win another treble. Any decline for the team would be far more likely to take place once Bernardo is gone – and it will probably only be then when fans truly realise how much of an impact he has had.

Gundogan had a pitch named after him at City’s training facility last month, a tribute which was also given to Toure and Joe Hart after their respective departures. But Bernardo will be deserving of an even greater send-off.

The Portuguese magician should be given a statue next to the ones of Kompany, Aguero and Silva outside the Etihad, so that he is forever immortalised at a club that will always owe him a debt of gratitude.