In a tireless, all-action performance against the league leaders, Bernardo Silva’s display captured everything that has made him indispensable to Manchester City’s era of dominance.
“You were like f—ing Cannavaro today.”
Erling Haaland may have scored the winner in Manchester City’s colossal 2-1 victory over Arsenal, but afterwards, he was quick to highlight the game’s real standout performer: captain and Player of the Match, Bernardo Silva.
The Portuguese midfielder is set to leave City after nine trophy-laden seasons, and his latest all-action display against the league leaders gave everyone a clear reminder of what Pep Guardiola’s side will be losing when he does depart.
Haaland was referring to a crucial headed clearance late on, with Bernardo defending his own box and beating 6-foot-2 Viktor Gyökeres to a dangerous cross. Obviously, they play in different positions, but the comparison to Fabio Cannavaro, the World Cup-winning Italian centre-back and 2006 Ballon d’Or winner, felt pretty accurate.
Like Cannavaro, Bernardo is not tall or particularly physically imposing, but he compensates with timing, bravery and an outstanding reading of the game.
There was a similar moment earlier on in the game where Bernardo was left one-on-one chasing a long ball over the top for Kai Havertz, another taller and more physical opponent. Again, Bernardo matched him stride for stride and snuffed out the danger.
Bernardo’s touch map below highlights just how involved he was across the pitch; he had just as much, if not more, influence in his own defensive third as he did in Arsenal’s half.
Without the ball, just as he always does, he ran himself into the ground. Bernardo covered more distance than any player in the match (12.3 km).
That’s entirely in keeping with his season to date, where he’s covered more ground in the Premier League than any Manchester City player (327km), some 40 km more than the next-highest.
Then there was his influence in possession. Alongside Rodri, Bernardo knitted City’s play together, particularly as they took control after the interval. The Bernardo-to-Rodri passing combination (17) was the joint-most common in the match as Bernardo took the game by the scruff of the neck, as City began to push Arsenal further back.
While City actually had slightly more possession in the first half, they had far more territory in the second. They pinned Arsenal back with sustained pressure and were able to progress the ball much more effectively into Arsenal’s third.
City’s final-third entries rose from 11 in the first half to 33 in the second, while their touches in the Arsenal box climbed from 15 to 25.
Their zones of control map shows just how much they dictated play in the middle of the park.
This was yet another example of one of Guardiola’s most trusted big-game players delivering again when it mattered. It was fitting that with this performance, Bernardo moved level with David Silva for Premier League matches won for Manchester City.
Guardiola himself was visibly emotional when discussing Bernardo after the match.
“If you continue to talk about him, I will cry, so be careful,” he told Sky Sports. “It will be so emotional the moment when he is going to leave. Bernardo is Bernardo. You cannot define him.”
“Without him, my nine years would be so, so different. He’s special.”
Since joining in 2017-18, Bernardo has never played fewer than 45 matches in a season for City. Over that period, he has made 452 appearances in all competitions, more than any other player across Europe’s top five leagues, ahead of Mohamed Salah (439) and Antoine Griezmann (434). Guardiola has relied on him so consistently for so long.
City have already said goodbye to several key midfield figures from their era of dominance under Guardiola, including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan, Fernandinho and David Silva.
Of the current squad, few serial winners remain. Rodri is one. Bernardo is another. With the former potentially picking up an injury against Arsenal, Bernardo may once again be asked to lead from the front in the closing stages of the season.
It’s a role he knows well. He has done it before, helping deliver six Premier League titles. Few would bet against him adding a seventh.
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‘Like Cannavaro’: Bernardo Silva’s All-Action Display Against Arsenal Shows What Man City Are Losing Opta Analyst.
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