Manchester City and Monaco go into
Tuesday’s Champions League showdown
each pinning their hopes on short, left-
footed midfield creators from the
Iberian peninsula who go by the name
of Silva.
Monaco’s Silva is Bernardo, a 22-year-
old Portuguese winger whose knack for
decisive goals has made him a central
figure in their free-scoring surge to the
Ligue 1 summit.
Nine years older but no less influential
is City’s Silva, elegant Spain
international David, whose enduring
brilliance has enabled him to remain a
vital cog in Pep Guardiola’s fast-
evolving team.
“Amazing,” was the word Guardiola
employed when he was asked to
describe Silva’s performance in City’s
most recent Premier League game, a 2-0
win at Bournemouth.
English football has proved more
resistant to Guardiola’s methods than
many expected, but Silva has helped to
uphold the old Barcelona tenet that if
the opponent cannot get the ball, they
cannot hurt you.
“The last 15, 20 minutes, with Kevin (De
Bruyne), with Fernandinho, he
monopolised the ball,” Guardiola added.
“We pass and pass and pass. It’s the
best way to avoid the opponent, when
you have the ball. There’s just one ball.”
Like many of City’s key players, Silva
did not look himself during the final
months of Manuel Pellegrini’s tenure
and finished last season with just two
league goals, the lowest tally of his
career.
After starting all four of Spain’s games
at Euro 2016, he returned to Manchester
to find increased competition for
midfield places following the arrivals of
Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane and Nolito.
Guardiola wasted no time making his
mark at the Etihad Stadium, forcing
goalkeeper Joe Hart to flee to Torino
and freezing out Yaya Toure, although
the Ivorian midfielder has since
returned.
Sergio Aguero’s future is also in doubt
following the January arrival of Gabriel
Jesus, while captain Vincent Kompany
has barely featured due to injury.
But Silva remains part of the furniture
and has adapted seamlessly to an
unfamiliar role alongside De Bruyne in
City’s midfield engine room.
– ‘Full of confidence’ –
“It is true that I am playing some steps
further back sometimes because I have
to help in the build-up,” Silva said
earlier this season.
“But Guardiola also gives me freedom to
attack and be close to the rival goal and
create chances, which is something that
I really like. He gives me a lot of
freedom and I am very happy playing
in this role.”
Despite his more withdrawn position,
Silva remains a decisive presence and
has scored or set up six goals in his last
12 appearances.
But he has not had the same headline
impact as his Monaco namesake, whose
eight goals include vital strikes against
Villarreal, Tottenham Hotspur and CSKA
Moscow and a recent injury-time
leveller at Paris Saint-Germain.
“He’s a very important player, perhaps
the key player in our team at the
moment,” says Brazilian team-mate
Fabinho.
“He’s full of confidence. I hope he’ll
keep scoring regularly. But even when
he doesn’t score or assist, he’s
important. He brings a lot and causes
problems for defenders.”
A thigh injury meant Silva missed
Portugal’s triumph at Euro 2016, but he
has been a pivotal player for Monaco
from the moment he arrived on loan
from Benfica in 2014.
While he lines up on the right of
midfield in Leonardo Jardim’s 4-4-2
system, right-back Djibril Sidibe’s raids
give him the liberty to drift infield, in
the same manner as Thomas Lemar on
the opposite flank.
“He’s progressed in terms of his
positioning,” says coach Jardim.
“He’s not a player who looks for contact,
so he chooses the spaces between the
opponents’ lines. He’s also more
effective in the area. He’s worked a lot
on that.”
With David Silva generally operating to
the left of centre, he and Bernardo Silva
are likely to come into regular contact
in Tuesday’s last 16 first-leg match.
Technique, rather than tackles, will be
the order of the day.
