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Unlocking Bernardo Silva.
City’s most realistic route to a more cohesive attack?
A thread 1/
City’s most realistic route to a more cohesive attack?
A thread 1/
Saturday saw an improved display from Bernardo. Starting on the right wing he linked well with De Bruyne and continued to flourish when moved central in the 2nd half.
His finishing was woeful, but whose isn’t at the moment 2/
His finishing was woeful, but whose isn’t at the moment 2/
The stats bear this out:
3 Key Passes (previous 20/21 PL best was 1)
7 Shot Creating Actions (previous 20/21 PL best was 3)
6 Attempted Dribbles (previous 20/21 PL best was 2)
3 Successful Dribbles (previous 20/21 PL best was 2) 3/
3 Key Passes (previous 20/21 PL best was 1)
7 Shot Creating Actions (previous 20/21 PL best was 3)
6 Attempted Dribbles (previous 20/21 PL best was 2)
3 Successful Dribbles (previous 20/21 PL best was 2) 3/
He also looked more industrious. At his best (18/19) Bernardo was perpetual motion and a huge part of City’s success. He looked a bit more like his old self on Saturday 4/
An in form Bernardo Silva could be key for City. His work-rate allied to his close control and ease of movement with the ball is unique in this squad and should be a big asset 5/
Pep has chosen stability over creativity in midfield (below).
This currently limits Bernardo’s first team opportunities to the wing.
It also puts a huge creative responsibility onto De Bruyne shoulders. Bernardo could be the man to help shoulder some of that weight 6/ https://twitter.com/city_tactics/status/1340398472483254272
This currently limits Bernardo’s first team opportunities to the wing.
It also puts a huge creative responsibility onto De Bruyne shoulders. Bernardo could be the man to help shoulder some of that weight 6/ https://twitter.com/city_tactics/status/1340398472483254272
He has the ability to drop into the half space and conjure up magic with De Bruyne, something we don’t see too often from the other options. At the same time he has excellent positional discipline and can be trusted defensively 7/
This is a major reason why Bernardo ousted Sane in the 18/19 run in when Sterling was switched to the left.
He can also be trusted to be an effective and intelligent cog in a high press 8/
He can also be trusted to be an effective and intelligent cog in a high press 8/
Southampton’s set up on Saturday helped Bernardo. They were brave and subsequently City had more space than usual when on the offensive 9/
This may have been the reason Pep chose Bernardo on Saturday. Southampton were always likely to attack and spaces would open up. Pep knows he can rely on Bernardo to help deal with attacks from a defensive stand point, key in matches like this 10/
For Bernardo to get a permanent spot in the team he needs to prove he can make a difference against packed defences. Pep often turns to Mahrez in such matches and tries to work situations to isolate him and his full back 11/
Bernardo has to show he can unlock a packed defence. He’s not David Silva (back to the la pausa debate) but if his inclusion, even from the wing, can see an uptick in City’s creativity against a packed defence he could become the first choice 12/
Confidence could be key. A confident Bernardo scores a couple of goals on Saturday. And he has to start being more effective in and around goal. Unless he increases his goals and assists output he’s unlikely to get a regular starting berth 13/
But if Bernardo can improve his output he’ll be difficult for Pep to ignore. He brings so much to the table when his tail is up and he could be the ideal foil for KDB. Let’s hope Saturday heralds a change in fortunes and he can get back to his best.
Thanks for reading 14/
Thanks for reading 14/
