When it comes to the strongest tools on the football field, the most often mentioned are probably former Bayern, current Real Madrid player Alaba, or Liverpool veteran James Milner, who are all offensive and defensive functional players, and are very good pawns for every coach in tactical fine-tuning. What I want to introduce today is not like the above two "industry leaders" who can step from winger to defender, but in almost every position in the middle and front, he is Manchester City's forward free man - Bernardo Silva.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="2" > the back</h1>
Connecting the front and back of the field, defending the little giants – take the 2021.09.25 game against Chelsea as an example
Bernardo Silva 20, Rodri 16
data:
The team was third in 86 touches, below Cancello and Rodri
27 short-range passes second only to Cancello (39)
Seven progressive passes tied for the highest with Rodry
11 progressive carries are third in the team, below Cancelo and Laporte
23 seconds after Phil Foden (27)
The highest team in 6 clearances
On average, Bernardo Silva stands almost on a parallel line with Rodri, and many of the salient figures are the same as Rodri. Bernardo Silva mostly used short passes to find Kyle Walker on the right wing, Jesus who withdrew the ball, or gave Rodri to the left to try to switch sides. In addition to simple but stable short passes, the front pass looking for De Bruyne and Phil Foden in the opponent and between the back line is a more penetrating option. Finally, with Bernardo Silva's own premise of protecting the ball, stable dribbling ability can also comfortably hold the ball and advance. From short passes, pin-led front passes, to his own ball-holding advance, Bernardo Silva's large number of touches in this game fully played the role of a bridge connecting the front and back of the field on the right side of the court.
As a member of the back of the back, teammates in the front of the ball immediately back to the ground to implement the pressure is also an important job, although there is no outstanding steal performance, but such a snatch can not only be based on whether the steal to distinguish good or bad, the negative side can force the opponent to pass the ball back and delay the rhythm of the counterattack, the positive side can force the opponent to make a return pass mistake and lose the ball.
In the end, Bernardo Silva left a somewhat unexpected result in this match - a team-high 6 clearances, helping the defense out of many crises. In addition, there are 3 successful high-altitude scrambles with a 60% success rate, although it is still some distance from the top, but with his slightly petite body of 173 cm, these data are indeed not easy to come by, and also add a lot of points to his role in the back of this game.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="13" > left midfielder</h1>
Box-to-box all-around midfielder - take 2021.10.03 against Liverpool as an example
Bernardo Silva 20, De Bruyne 17
Third on the team with 69 touches, behind Canceló and Kyle Walker
5 effective front passes were third in the team, below De Bruyne and Canselo
10 effective ball holdings second only to Jesus (12)
Four times with the ball into the penalty area was the highest in the team
5 attempts and 3 successes were the highest in the team
4 draw fouls were the highest in the team
0.4 Expected Assists (xA) is the highest in the team
6 shots on goal (two offensive moves before the shot, passing, passing, etc.) are the highest in the team
25 times to grab the highest in the whole team
Four attempts to steal and four successes were the highest in the team
4 interceptions were the highest in the team
From the average position, Bernardo Silva's position is slightly higher than the back Rodri, slightly lower than the forward de Bruyne, probably the role of gundogan box-to-box in the past, but there is less footage of the back on the penalty area, but the contribution at both ends of the attack and defense is not reduced. In this game, opponents right winger Salah mostly came forward to press the centre-backs, leaving only Jordan Henderson alone on the right side (Manchester City's left side) to take care of it, and Bernardo Silva paired with Cancello on the left side, using the advantage of two-on-one to push forward, or attracting Fabinho to assist and make a fuss about the space pulled out of Manchester City's front (black circle below).
Taking advantage of Salah's defensive loophole, Manchester City can advance efficiently on the left side (44% of the attack is launched from the left), Bernardo Silva's data in this game in the number of touches, effective forward passes, effective possession of the ball, holding the ball into the box these data to help the team move forward are quite prominent, passing, attracting fouls and other data is the proof that he can still successfully break through in the face of opponent pressure. In addition to his delivery work, Bernardo Silva also made a significant contribution to the opportunity-creating segment, with Phil Foden receiving Bernardo Silva's diagonal pass in the 21st minute and De Bruyne receiving the header from Phil Foden in the 34th minute (Bernardo Silva was the "front assist" to Phil Foden), two of City's best scoring chances in the first half.
Outside of the offensive end, as an all-round midfielder, there is no room for sloppiness on the defensive end. The team's highest number of steals provides Manchester City with the energy to counter-attack on the spot, the highest number of steals in the whole team strengthens The dominance of Manchester City's continuous attack, and the highest number of interceptions in the whole team extinguishes The arrogance of Liverpool's counterattack may be more convincing than Bernardo Silva's performance as a back in the previous period, playing a key unsung hero in the successful draw with Liverpool away.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="29" > left midfielder/left wing</h1>
Liberty 8, frequent swaps with the left – take Leicester City on September 11, 2021, for example
Bernardo Silva 20, Jack Grilish 10
The team finished third in 10 effective possessions, lower than Ruben Díaz and Jack Grillish
8 attempts to cross the team's highest
14 progressive receiving (players receiving valid prequels) is the highest on the team
The highest number of 9 touches in the penalty area
The 0.5 expected goal value (xG) was third in the team, below Gundogan and Ferran Torres
0.4 Expected Assists (xA) second only to Gundogan (0.6)
6 shots on goal behind Jake Grelich (9)
21 times to grab the highest in the whole team
9 recovery balls second only to Rodry (12)
On average, although it is the same left midfield position as the previous paragraph, Bernardo Silva is more close to Jack Greliş on the left wing, and there are many pictures of the game and Jack Grelich. Jack Grellish is more inclined to cut inward with his right foot, while Bernardo Silva is more comfortable with his left foot, which is the core of City's attack in this game (38% of the attack is launched from the left). Effectively holding the ball and attempting crosses show his organizational ability to move to the left wing; effective reception, touching the ball in the box is his receiving of the half space plug; xG, xA, creating shooting opportunities are the most direct contributions to the goal.
If you gradually grasp the characteristics of Bernardo Silva, it should not be difficult to find that his energy of harassment on the defensive end is very high, this game he also paid the highest number of snatches in the whole team, and also had a record of 2 attempts in the front, which is an important player for Manchester City to implement a counterattack on the spot.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="41" > right midfielder/right wing</h1>
"Liberty 8", frequent right-wing swaps - take 2021.04.28 against PSG as an example
Bernardo Silva 20, Mahrez 26
Third in the squad with 4 effective front passes, lower than Kyle Walker and De Bruyne
3 successful passes tied for the highest
5 effective receptions second only to De Bruyne (10)
The highest number of 7 touches in the penalty area
0.3 Expected Assists (xA) is the highest in the team
38 times on the team's highest
3 successful steals were the highest in the team
5 blocked shots were the highest in the team
On average, Bernardo Silva is almost glued to right winger Mahrez, roughly a mirror image of the previous character, with many images of swapping with Mahrez, which was also the main position of Bernardo Silva when Manchester City's record last season was on the rise. Although the characters are similar, the data presented is slightly different, mainly because he and Mahrez are both reverse feet on the right wing, and both have the ability to cut inside and explode. One person holds the ball in half space, one person provides the option of a bottom cross on the outside after hitting the wall (below), another offensive combination is one person holding the ball on the right wing, using the dribble to penetrate inward, one person waiting on the edge of the penalty area for the opportunity to cross after a tile-type run, or acting as an umbrella to recover the ball when a teammate drops the ball (below, right).
Effective front passes and successful successes are contributions on the right wing; effective reception and touching the ball in the penalty area are the gains from the half space breakthrough, and xA is a substantial contribution related to the goal. Defensively, it is also the highest number of snatches in the whole team, and in this relatively average game, Bernardo Silva also defused many crises of Manchester City with successful steals and blocking shots.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="52" > pseudo-number 9</h1>
The first line of defense of the 4-4-2 defensive line - take 2021.05.04 against PSG as an example
Bernardo Silva 20, De Bruyne 17
5 effective prequels second only to Fernandinho (6)
9 effective ball possessions second only to Mahrez (12)
5 possessions of the ball into the front court behind de Bruyne (6)
From the average position, Manchester City presents a 4-4-2/4-2-4 that is different from usual, which is a defensive layout developed by Guardiolao after many years of coaching at Manchester City, integrating English elements, and Bernardo Silva is parallel to De Bruyne in this game, which is the first line of defense leading the team to put pressure on the front line. The game was very different from City's previous style of play, using a solid defensive line to hold the lead established in the first leg, waiting for the opponent to make a mistake or drop the ball, and then creating a threat when the attack and defense transition through the speed of the two wings.
Last season, City's frontless squad was mostly played by Phil Foden or De Bruyne, so the pseudo-No. 9 was Bernardo Silva's more unsuitable position. In this game, the offensive end is limited by the two wings, he and De Bruyne are much bleaker; on the defensive end, Fernandinho's outstanding performance overrides other players, and the phenomenon of less ball possession and more defensive opportunities in the whole game also makes Bernardo Silva only rank 4th in the 36 high snatches of the whole team, lower than Fernandinho, De Bruyne and Mahrez. The overall performance is not particularly impressive compared to his performance in other positions, and after Bernardo Silva has proved his defensive ability at the back position this season, the future is less likely to be a pseudo-No. 9, and more opportunities are for Phil Foden, Jesus, or Jack Grelich, who is also actively aggressive, to play.
Bernardo Silva has gradually shown his all-round midfield ability in the recent absence of Gundogan: the defensive strength of the back, the efficiency of the advance of the attack to the front, the basic skills of assisting in the leading edge of the penalty area or rebounding on the spot, plus he is mostly a winger on the right wing before coming to Manchester City, which allows him to switch sides with the wingers on both sides to confuse the opponent's staring account. In addition, in Gundogan's more dominant block - the offensive sense of grabbing the point in the back penalty area, in the match against PSG on September 28, 2021, Bernardo Silva also gave us a few opportunities, if the finishing ability can be further improved, Gundogan's previous starting position may be in jeopardy.
However, the player, who has almost locked up Manchester City's starting position, has made his intention to leave the team clearly before this season. The reason for the outside world is that he wants to have the opportunity to challenge other teams; there are also speculations that he is limited by frequent moves in his position and does not receive equal respect or team status because of his excellent performance.
If the real owner is because of the latter, then hopefully starting with this article, Manchester City fans will officially recognize the top free man in the front court; hopefully, starting with this article, Bernardo Silva will have any possibility of a change of heart.
Wherever Bernardo Silva ends up, hopefully he will meet someone who knows how to take advantage of him, continue to unleash his endless energy in the midfield area, play his excellent game on the flanks, and perform his ability to move freely through tight spaces in the penalty area.
Bernardo Silva, who is a free man from Manchester City's frontcourt. He is not an outcast who is placed in the remaining positions, but an indispensable and important piece of chess in the team.