Bernardo Silva
- Thread starter Butaan4barca
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Mateka
New member
He went to City for 45m GBP. Transfermarkt
Mateka
New member
Despite being prepared to sell Silva, the 27-year-old has registered the sixth most Premier League minutes (490) of all outfielders for City this season. Of those ahead of him in this particular metric, three are defenders Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker. The big money arrival of Jack Grealish was expected to effectively spell the end of Silva's time at the club and with the England international used from the bench ahead of Silva in their Community Shield defeat to Leicester back in August, it clearly showed that the former Aston Villa man was ahead of his new teammate in the pecking order.
Yet Silva has started six of City's seven Premier League matches this season. The one game he didn't feature in was the only one City have lost, that coming in their opening weekend 1-0 defeat at Tottenham. An unused sub in the loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Silva must have been itching to get on to help rescue a result for City. In fact the primary reason behind his return to the starting XI the following week was due to injuries to Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, which saw Silva line up alongside Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan in the middle of the park.
Much like Aymeric Laporte grabbing his chance to consolidate a starting spot in the City defence, excelling alongside Ruben Dias at the expense of John Stones, injuries in the middle of the park forced Guardiola's hand and Silva hasn't looked back. Only Rodri (7.40) and Joao Cancelo (7.39) have earned a better WhoScored rating than Silva (7.32) of all City players in the Premier League this season, with his tenacity and drive a huge asset for Guardiola's side.
Only Cancelo (16) has made more tackles than Silva (12) for City in England's top tier this term, while only Grealish (13) has completed more dribbles (11). A player of his calibre and skillset is a huge boost for the defending Premier League champions, so the decision to allow him to leave was a surprising one. Guardiola admitted that all he wants for Silva is "to be happy", yet three of their five Premier League title successes have come since the all-action midfielder joined from Monaco in 2017 and considering their record with Silva starting, they'd be foolish to allow him to join another side.
Since the start of the 2020/21 season, Silva has started 30 of 45 Premier League matches. City's win ratio with him in those 30 games is a superb 80%. In the 15 games he did not start, that drops to 46.7%. Goals scored per game drops from 2.33 to 1.80 and the number of goals conceded per game rises from 0.67 to 1.00. Of course, there are a mitigating circumstances as to why a team would lose - football is a team sport and the absence of one player, no matter how good they are, doesn't completely impact a result - yet City are a far tougher side to beat when he does start.
The stunning stats that suggest Man City must keep hold of Bernardo Silva
There's also the fact Silva has saved his best performances against the Premier League's tougher opponents. Four of his 10 best rated outings since the start of 2020/21 in England's top tier have come against Chelsea, Liverpool - twice - and Leicester, three teams who finished in the top five last season. When the going gets tough, Silva gets going.
While he may not offer as much as his City teammates in the attacking third, Silva's work both in and out of possession is incredibly important for Guardiola's side, as is his in-game interchangeability. Fans have seen Silva operate in midfield for the most part this season, but in being able to play on either wing, or even as a striker, means Guardiola is able to tinker with his shape during play for the good of the side, safe in the knowledge that the Portuguese midfielder will carry out his required tasks to the highest standard.
That City have struggled when he doesn't start shouldn't come as a shock to anyone especially as his high-energy approach sets the tempo for the defending champions. Nevertheless after a summer being linked with a move away from the Etihad, Silva has been his hassling best in the City midfield and with injuries presenting him with a way back into the setup, we're unlikely to see the consistent Portuguese star sacrifice his spot in the side any time soon.
WhoScored.com
Yet Silva has started six of City's seven Premier League matches this season. The one game he didn't feature in was the only one City have lost, that coming in their opening weekend 1-0 defeat at Tottenham. An unused sub in the loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Silva must have been itching to get on to help rescue a result for City. In fact the primary reason behind his return to the starting XI the following week was due to injuries to Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, which saw Silva line up alongside Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan in the middle of the park.
Much like Aymeric Laporte grabbing his chance to consolidate a starting spot in the City defence, excelling alongside Ruben Dias at the expense of John Stones, injuries in the middle of the park forced Guardiola's hand and Silva hasn't looked back. Only Rodri (7.40) and Joao Cancelo (7.39) have earned a better WhoScored rating than Silva (7.32) of all City players in the Premier League this season, with his tenacity and drive a huge asset for Guardiola's side.
Only Cancelo (16) has made more tackles than Silva (12) for City in England's top tier this term, while only Grealish (13) has completed more dribbles (11). A player of his calibre and skillset is a huge boost for the defending Premier League champions, so the decision to allow him to leave was a surprising one. Guardiola admitted that all he wants for Silva is "to be happy", yet three of their five Premier League title successes have come since the all-action midfielder joined from Monaco in 2017 and considering their record with Silva starting, they'd be foolish to allow him to join another side.
Since the start of the 2020/21 season, Silva has started 30 of 45 Premier League matches. City's win ratio with him in those 30 games is a superb 80%. In the 15 games he did not start, that drops to 46.7%. Goals scored per game drops from 2.33 to 1.80 and the number of goals conceded per game rises from 0.67 to 1.00. Of course, there are a mitigating circumstances as to why a team would lose - football is a team sport and the absence of one player, no matter how good they are, doesn't completely impact a result - yet City are a far tougher side to beat when he does start.
The stunning stats that suggest Man City must keep hold of Bernardo Silva
There's also the fact Silva has saved his best performances against the Premier League's tougher opponents. Four of his 10 best rated outings since the start of 2020/21 in England's top tier have come against Chelsea, Liverpool - twice - and Leicester, three teams who finished in the top five last season. When the going gets tough, Silva gets going.
While he may not offer as much as his City teammates in the attacking third, Silva's work both in and out of possession is incredibly important for Guardiola's side, as is his in-game interchangeability. Fans have seen Silva operate in midfield for the most part this season, but in being able to play on either wing, or even as a striker, means Guardiola is able to tinker with his shape during play for the good of the side, safe in the knowledge that the Portuguese midfielder will carry out his required tasks to the highest standard.
That City have struggled when he doesn't start shouldn't come as a shock to anyone especially as his high-energy approach sets the tempo for the defending champions. Nevertheless after a summer being linked with a move away from the Etihad, Silva has been his hassling best in the City midfield and with injuries presenting him with a way back into the setup, we're unlikely to see the consistent Portuguese star sacrifice his spot in the side any time soon.
WhoScored.com
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
I thought he was going downhill but instead he is playing the best football he ever played. Beautiful goal today. Amazing finish. Welcome to Barca with that type of goals, when you get bored of Manchester.
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
He needs to have talk with Pep and it's all good. Hoe does twenty mil sound?
I don't expect Torres signing to be an easy one. I hope it gets done first days of January though.. so we are kinda in a hurry.
Mateka
New member
Firstly my apologies for such a long post about Silva, on 15/10/21
He is in the form of his life. I don’t think he’s going anywhere other than more games for City. EPL he missed the first game of the season, City lost. But then starting eleven: 13 in a row, subbed in 0 in a team where rotation is standard practice.
He is in the form of his life. I don’t think he’s going anywhere other than more games for City. EPL he missed the first game of the season, City lost. But then starting eleven: 13 in a row, subbed in 0 in a team where rotation is standard practice.
Last edited:
utility73
Senior Member
Not if you are a wuss like Goetze.
serghei
Senior Member
I would say the chances are pretty good of that being the case. Not a bum though, but "just" a decent player. No way a world-class midfielder.
FinBarcelonafan
Well-known member
True. We need to identify right players to our system. No more buying someone because they play well for some team. No more bad squad planning!
Why? Most players improved under Valverde, and became worse the moment he left.
Though overall of course, City is a better choice, so he it was a wise decision.
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