Manchester City’s Newest Starlet – Bernardo Silva

How will he fit in?

We obviously have no idea what Pep will do with him at this point, but we know Pep loves midfielders and will find a way to fit Bernardo in.

One thing I have noticed this season is our lack of depth in the outside midfield positions; we relied way too heavily on Sterling and Sane. And if one gets injured? We had Nolito who started alright but seemingly fell off the face of the Earth. Then there is Navas, and we all know what we will get from him. Both of these players will be gone by the start of next season, so it is integral we either purchase a replacement or call someone up from the youth team.

So… in a long season full of European competitions, Cup competitions, and league play, midfield depth is integral and Bernardo will provide exactly that. Bernardo has traditionally played as right mid in Monaco’s 4-4-2 system, so he could play in Sterling’s position on the wing in a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3. However, he has also shown versatility, having played all over the field at times (in the center and on the left, collecting the ball and creating chances for Mbappe and Falcao. Moreover, he can also provide a like-for-like replacement for David Silva, or Kevin de Bruyne if we are in need of shuffling the lineup.

With his fantastic dribbling and chance creation, he will provide a whole new dimension to our attacking that Sterling or Sane don’t bring to the table.

Ideally, I see Bernardo adding to our OM and CAM depth; I still think Roberts will be given a shout, but at the moment we our pretty good in the RM spot.

How our lineup could look with Silva:

4 – 3 – 3

Leroy Sane — Jesus/Aguero — Bernardo Silva

We’ve seen a 4 – 3 – 3 on occasions, and this lineup would allow to have 3 central midfielders on the field in KDB, David Silva, and Toure. From the right on the front, Bernardo would be able to cut in to his favored left foot and provide delivery for Aguero/Sane or give space for our right-back (hopefully Kyle Walker).

4 – 5 – 1

Jesus/Aguero

Leroy Sane — Bernardo Silva — Raheem Sterling

KDB/Silva — Toure/Gundogan/Fernandinho

Making these selections are incredibly difficult… and the season is 3 months away. For the most part, next season I don’t see Jesus playing as much on the right as he did towards the end of the season. He should be playing in his preferred striker role. This gives Sterling the opportunity to come in and play on the right, with Bernardo taking that #10 spot. He hasn’t exactly played in that position for Monaco, but as I said earlier, he definitely has the ability to slot into this role. At Monaco he played all over the pitch, collecting the ball in the center at times and providing chances for Mbappe and Falcoa, as well as Lemar and whomever else is on the wing.

4 – 1 – 4 – 1

Jesus / Aguero

Leroy Sane — KDB / Silva — Bernardo Silva / Gundogan — Sterling / Bernardo Silva

Toure / Fernandinho

We probably saw this one most often, as Pep likes to deploy as many attacking midfielders as possible. City would commonly deploy Silva and De Bruyne as dual #10s, while we’d have Toure or Fernandinho play a CDM role. This gives us two Center Attacking midfielders, of whom could be Gundogan, David Silva, De Bruyne, or Bernardo Silva, and more options on the wing as well.