Manchester City can’t afford to lose Bernardo Silva

Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva has been linked with a move to Barcelona, but can City really afford to lose him?

Manchester City’s strengths come from their midfield and how they are able to consistently dominate matches. 

Across their opening two Premier League matches this season they have averaged 71.1% possession and opposing sides often struggle to keep hold of the ball. 

Bernardo Silva has been moulded into the perfect Pep Guardiola midfielder and they would be hard pressed to find a replacement.  

 

What he brings to the side 

The Portuguese midfielder made 480 pressures last season which was the second most in the Manchester City side, only behind Rodri who made 481. 

He also made 52 tackles throughout the season, which was only bettered by Rodri and Joao Cancelo in the City squad. 

Bernardo offers a wealth of talent on the ball, but his work ethic off it is what makes him the perfect Pep Guardiola player. 

The 28-year-old made 32 interceptions and 26 clearances last season as he isn’t afraid of getting stuck in. 

He won 11 tackles in the attacking third and is a key component to Man City winning the ball high up the pitch. 

Bernardo has been a dependable member of Guardiola’s side for some time now as he was City’s fourth most used player in the Premier League last season with 2861 minutes played in total. 

Based on Whoscored.com average match ratings, he was the 12th best player in the Premier League last season with an average rating of 7.27. 

 

His quality on the ball 

Last season was Bernardo's best from a goalscoring perspective as he scored eight Premier League goals throughout Manchester City’s title winning campaign. 

He slightly overperformed his xG of 6.8 by 1.2 goals in total as he took 1.3 shots per game, which is more than he had previously averaged. 

From a creative standpoint, he is one of the finest playmakers currently playing the game. 

During the 21/22 season he made 127 shot-creating actions, which was only bettered by Kevin De Bruyne in the Manchester City squad. 

Manchester City also massively benefit from having strength in depth and losing a player as good as Bernado would massively hinder this quality. 

With the uncertainty surrounding his future at the moment, he has been on the bench for Manchester City’s opening two Premier League fixtures. 

So far, Pep Guardiola has opted for a midfield trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan. 

Bernardo Silva has played a total of 37 minutes of Premier League football this season as he has made two substitute appearances from the bench. 

 

Why Barcelona? 

Barcelona’s interest in Bernardo has been reported for quite some time now. 

He would certainly meet the criteria of what Barcelona usually look for in a midfielder as he is technically brilliant as well as tenacious off the ball. 

This summer has seen Barcelona rework the spine of their squad and it doesn’t seem as if they are done just yet. 

They have already brought in the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.  

Bernardo Silva would be a handy addition to the side as he is versatile enough to play as part of a midfield three or across the forward line. 

Barcelona started their La Liga campaign with a goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano at the Nou Camp. 

Xavi’s side lined up with a midfield trio of Gavi, Pedri and Sergio Busquets. 

There’s no doubt that the addition of a player like Bernardo Silva would give Barcelona a different dynamic in midfield, but Manchester City should be doing everything in their power to keep hold of the Portuguese playmaker.