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Man City midfielder Bernardo Silva has revealed that there was a “lack of confidence” within the squad earlier in the season.
The Portugal star’s comments come ahead of the 2022/23 Champions League final, where the Manchester outfit will take on Inter Milan.
The English club will go head to head with the Serie A giants at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday.
Lack of confidence at Man City
Man City go into the game full of confidence, with the knowledge that a victory would secure a treble. Pep Guardiola’s men have already clinched the Premier League and FA Cup this season.
They trailed Arsenal for the majority of the league campaign, but a stunning run of form, combined with a poor run from the Gunners, saw Man City come out on top in the two-horse race.
The Manchester outfit then defeated their city rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley, giving them a huge boost ahead of the massive clash with Inter Milan.
But star midfielder Silva has revealed that confidence levels weren’t always so high, with the club initially failing to find the consistency that they enjoyed in the latter stages of the season.
“This has been a difficult season, because 90% of the season, to start with, we were always behind Arsenal and we couldn’t win four or five matches in a row,” said Silva, as quoted by the official Man City website.
“So we couldn’t get that momentum of confidence, of thinking: okay, now we’re unstoppable. Because, when you start winning five, six, seven matches in a row, you get that feeling that you’re unstoppable. And it’s difficult to stop a team when they have this feeling.
“Any team, not just us. And this past year, it was always like, one, two, three matches and then we’d draw or lose. That ended up creating a feeling of lack of confidence within the team.”
Man City turn season around
Man City have been in sensational form following the 2022 World Cup, with the tournament affecting different clubs in different ways.
And Silva, who has been a key player under Guardiola once again this season, notes a turning point in their season when they realised just how much damage they can do.
Silva added. “And I think, especially after the World Cup, there was a moment of reflection, and even after coming back at first, those first games weren’t easy, but the away win over Arsenal was very important.
“It made us believe again that we can win important matches. And in the moment that we won over Arsenal at home, it was approximately at the same time when we knocked out Bayern Munich from the Champions League, it ended up being a very important moment.”
Like a handful of other Man City players, Silva’s future at the club is up in the air, with the midfielder linked with moves to the likes of PSG and Barcelona in recent times.
But Guardiola and all associated with the club will be desperate for the Portuguese icon to stay for at least another campaign.
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