The stunning stats that suggest Man City must keep hold of Bernardo Silva
There was a period over the summer when it seemed Bernardo Silva's time at Manchester City was drawing to a close. Reports suggested La Liga pair Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were keen on the Portugal international, while the midfielder was tentatively linked with a move to Arsenal. Rumours even suggested that City would use Silva as a makeweight in a deal for Harry Kane, though no summer Etihad exit came to fruition.
Head coach Pep Guardiola was open to the prospect of Silva departing in the transfer window, and last month stated: "All I want is for Bernardo to be happy, here or anywhere. All I want is his happiness because he's a guy that deserves the best." Yet with no potential suitor found, Silva remained in Manchester and he has established himself as a key man for City once more.
Despite being prepared to sell Silva, the 27-year-old has registered the sixth most Premier League minutes (490) of all outfielders for City this season. Of those ahead of him in this particular metric, three are defenders Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker. The big money arrival of Jack Grealish was expected to effectively spell the end of Silva's time at the club and with the England international used from the bench ahead of Silva in their Community Shield defeat to Leicester back in August, it clearly showed that the former Aston Villa man was ahead of his new teammate in the pecking order.
Yet Silva has started six of City's seven Premier League matches this season. The one game he didn't feature in was the only one City have lost, that coming in their opening weekend 1-0 defeat at Tottenham. An unused sub in the loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Silva must have been itching to get on to help rescue a result for City. In fact the primary reason behind his return to the starting XI the following week was due to injuries to Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, which saw Silva line up alongside Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan in the middle of the park.
Much like Aymeric Laporte grabbing his chance to consolidate a starting spot in the City defence, excelling alongside Ruben Dias at the expense of John Stones, injuries in the middle of the park forced Guardiola's hand and Silva hasn't looked back. Only Rodri (7.40) and Joao Cancelo (7.39) have earned a better WhoScored rating than Silva (7.32) of all City players in the Premier League this season, with his tenacity and drive a huge asset for Guardiola's side.
Only Cancelo (16) has made more tackles than Silva (12) for City in England's top tier this term, while only Grealish (13) has completed more dribbles (11). A player of his calibre and skillset is a huge boost for the defending Premier League champions, so the decision to allow him to leave was a surprising one. Guardiola admitted that all he wants for Silva is "to be happy", yet three of their five Premier League title successes have come since the all-action midfielder joined from Monaco in 2017 and considering their record with Silva starting, they'd be foolish to allow him to join another side.
Since the start of the 2020/21 season, Silva has started 30 of 45 Premier League matches. City's win ratio with him in those 30 games is a superb 80%. In the 15 games he did not start, that drops to 46.7%. Goals scored per game drops from 2.33 to 1.80 and the number of goals conceded per game rises from 0.67 to 1.00. Of course, there are a mitigating circumstances as to why a team would lose - football is a team sport and the absence of one player, no matter how good they are, doesn't completely impact a result - yet City are a far tougher side to beat when he does start.
There's also the fact Silva has saved his best performances against the Premier League's tougher opponents. Four of his 10 best rated outings since the start of 2020/21 in England's top tier have come against Chelsea, Liverpool - twice - and Leicester, three teams who finished in the top five last season. When the going gets tough, Silva gets going.
While he may not offer as much as his City teammates in the attacking third, Silva's work both in and out of possession is incredibly important for Guardiola's side, as is his in-game interchangeability. Fans have seen Silva operate in midfield for the most part this season, but in being able to play on either wing, or even as a striker, means Guardiola is able to tinker with his shape during play for the good of the side, safe in the knowledge that the Portuguese midfielder will carry out his required tasks to the highest standard.
That City have struggled when he doesn't start shouldn't come as a shock to anyone especially as his high-energy approach sets the tempo for the defending champions. Nevertheless after a summer being linked with a move away from the Etihad, Silva has been his hassling best in the City midfield and with injuries presenting him with a way back into the setup, we're unlikely to see the consistent Portuguese star sacrifice his spot in the side any time soon.
