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Man City manager Pep Guardiola believes Bernardo Silva is “one of the best players” he has ever had at his various clubs.
The Portugal international shone in the club’s Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.
Silva assisted Rodri for the opening goal before netting a fine header for City’s second, with Erling Haaland scoring soon after to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory.
Man City boss praises Silva
On paper it was supposed to be a difficult test for the home side at the Etihad, but Guardiola’s men blew their opposition away. They now take the commanding 3-0 lead into the second leg at the Allianz Arena next week.
Man City boss Guardiola may change his starting XI for that clash, but it seems that Silva has earned himself a place in the team following his stunning display last night.
“Bernardo is a football player,” said Guardiola, as quoted by the Man City website. “What does it mean?
“He will play everywhere, every position, even left back, everywhere because he understands the game, in every action Bernardo has the ability to read the game.
“But Bernardo is such an important player, especially in these types of games, he can play holding midfield, he can play false nine. We need this type of player. And lately he has scored a lot of goals. Always he lacked that a little bit.”
‘He understands everything’
As noted by Guardiola, Silva has been tasked with playing in several different positions since moving to the club in 2017. Such positions include central midfield, attacking midfield and right-wing, where he played in the victory over Bayern.
Such fluidity is key to being a successful player in teams managed by Guardiola, but the boss believes Silva is one of the best at being so versatile, even from the manager’s time at Bayern and Barcelona.
“He is a player if you say play in this position, you don’t have to say anything else, he understands everything. Understands everything.
“From my point of view, I was lucky as a manager to have incredible, outstanding players at Barcelona and Munich. He is one of the best players I ever trained in my life. Ever. He is something special, a special football player.”
Man City star back on top
Not long ago, Silva had been strongly linked with an exit from the Etihad, with Barcelona boss Xavi reportedly keen on his signature. That coincided with the midfielder being used sparingly in the early stages of the season by Guardiola.
But Silva now has a massive 42 appearances to his name in all competitions this season, with the Portugal international chipping in with five goals and six assists.
He has been a key player in the Premier League title pursuit for Man City, as well as the club’s strong FA Cup run, where they are into the last four.
But perhaps his best has been saved for the Champions League, with fans of the club desperate for Silva and Co. to bring home the trophy this season.
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