In Focus: Bernardo's failed move has been City's Silva lining

Manchester City are back on top of the Premier League — and Bernardo Silva has been the unlikely star of the show.

In a team packed full of elite players, it is the Portuguese technician who has been City’s go-to man this term.

Considering he appeared destined to leave before the summer transfer window slammed shut, we take a look at how things have changed so dramatically for Silva at the Etihad. 

And do not be surprised to see him run the show once again when City host Wolves in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off. 

Bernard-no move

After four successful years with the Citizens, 27-year-old Silva was ready for a change of scene.

Reports of the creative midfielder being unsettled in England had persisted throughout the summer and Pep Guardiola confirmed a switch was a distinct possibility.

In August, Guardiola said: "Yes. It’s not just Bernardo, there are two, three or four players that want to leave.

"But they are our players and are under contract. When their agents come here and they want to leave, we are open to discuss absolutely everything. But it depends on them.

"Otherwise, they will continue training really well, they will stay here and I will decide if they stay or don't stay."

While Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona were all supposedly keen on handing the Portuguese his dream move to Spain, a suitable offer failed to materialise and Silva had to stay put. 

Silva rewards

There had been speculation that Jack Grealish’s £100million arrival was one of the reasons behind Silva’s discontent — but his performances have swiftly put that talk to bed.

Having spent City’s limp opening-day defeat at Tottenham on the bench, he was called into the first XI for the subsequent 5-0 thrashings of Norwich and Arsenal and has not relinquished his spot since.

While the likes of Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez have found starts hard to come by, Guardiola has made Silva one of the first names on his team sheet.

Occupying the most prominent position in City’s midfield trio, he rarely finds his role tinkered with — showing the unprecedented level of trust his boss has in him to perform.

After the recent 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, Guardiola left no doubt over his feelings on Silva’s recent performance levels.

He said: "He is the best. He was the best two or three seasons ago, too. 

"You have to go back to when we won with 98 points, review the videos and you will see the same player like this right now."

Portu-goals

A dive into the statistics show Guardiola’s beliefs are far from unfounded.

Most notably, only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota, along with Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, can top Silva’s seven Premier League goals so far this term.

Carrying such a prolific edge is unprecedented for the Portuguese maestro, who had only netted 21 times in 131 top-flight appearances prior to this campaign.

In fact, he has already equalled his previous best season-long haul — achieved in that mesmeric 2018-19 title triumph referenced by Guardiola.

With five strikes in his most recent five league appearances, it is not unrealistic to think there will be more to come. 

Breaking the lines

Along with his spectacular goals, Silva continues to do what he has always done so well during his stint in Manchester — unlock doors for his team-mates.

Guardiola’s tactical approach relies on patient and intelligent attacking play to succeed.

Silva’s 274 passes in the final third this term are a league high and demonstrate his outstanding willingness to manoeuvre the ball in tricky areas for the benefit of those around him.

When a pass is not on, he is happy to take the bull by the horns — his 25 completed take-ons place him inside the division’s top 10 for the metric.

Though he only has one Premier League assist to his name, the frequency of Silva’s involvement in the moments leading up to a goal has been simply phenomenal.

He truly has become City’s most reliable performer.

No stopping him now

If Silva wanted away in the summer, recent weeks seem to have prompted a change of heart.

Speaking at the start of this month, the midfielder said: "It was a privilege to join Manchester City back in 2017 and the rest is history.

"The amount of trophies we’ve won in my time here is huge and we’re very happy with what we’ve achieved.

"But that can't stop now — we have to keep going because we are not happy with what we’ve done and we want more.

"There is one competition we haven't won yet [the Champions League] that we want to win and then the Premier League — we want to win that again. It is never enough."

Silva being happy again is certainly an early Christmas present for Manchester City — but it will dampen any festive cheer among their rivals.