Pep Guardiola’s affection for Portuguese international Bernardo Silva at Manchester City is well-established, and the Seleção man’s ability to perform in various roles for the European champions was on display again this weekend in the Premier League.
City were edged out by Arsenal 1-0 in London on Sunday afternoon, conceding a late goal towards the end of what was a below par performance by the standards set by Guardiola’s side. For Bernardo, the fixture is becoming synonymous with him being deployed in surprise positions on the field at the Emirates.
The Portuguese was memorably selected at left-back when City won 3-1 in the meeting in February, but there was another surprise when Guardiola fielded his line-up on Sunday. While many had anticipated the former Benfica man to undertake more creative responsibilities, Bernardo covered for the suspended Rodri in a deeper midfield slot, where he inevitably racked up a 96% pass completion.
“I was in the No.6 position because that is what the manager asked me to do,” Bernardo told Sky Sports. “I’m comfortable there, it’s not my natural position but I’m comfortable especially with the ball.
“Without the ball, I was trying to be between centre-backs and jump into their holding midfielders. I’m used to this, I don’t think it was a big thing. Last season I was less comfortable at left-back than as a No.6. It's not my position but I'm comfortable there. It was a tough game for us, especially for the outcome because I don’t think we played that bad.”
The defeat was City’s second consecutive loss in the Premier League and their third in four matches in all competitions. Despite the minor slump in form, Bernardo is not concerned about the team’s prospects during the remainder of the campaign as they seek to defend their league, FA Cup and Champions League treble.
“Definitely some results we weren’t expecting and didn’t want to happen,” he said. “Last season we won the treble and there was a point where nothing went our way. You have these moments and it’s how you overcome them that defines the team and what you can achieve. We are going to keep fighting for all games knowing we have tough opposition ahead of us.”
By @SeanGillen9
