Bernardo Silva has insisted anyone hoping Pep Guardiola’s absence will hurt Manchester City at Sheffield United today is clutching at straws.
Guardiola will miss City’s next two games against The Blades and Fulham after having back surgery in Spain – with assistant Juanmo Lillo taking over on the touchline.
City have followed up last season’s Treble by winning their first two league games and lifting the European Super Cup this season and Bernardo is expecting more of the same even without their genius manager in the technical area temporarily.
‘It will have little impact,’ says the Portuguese midfielder who signed a new deal at The Etihad last week.
‘If we were without him for two or three months, it might be different but not for two matches before the international break.
Bernardo Silva says Manchester City will cope well with Pep Guardiola’s absence as they know what is expected of them after many years under him
Guardiola will miss their next two games for back surgery, with Juanma Lillo taking his place
‘Some players have been under him for seven years, we know perfectly well what he and the rest of the staff want from us. We will work in the same way to prepare.
‘Of course they (Guardiola and Lillo) will be in communication with each other and we will do our best to play in the same way and to win these games before our manager returns.’
Bernardo’s new deal ends the hopes of long-time admirers Barcelona from nabbing him.
His international team-mate Ruben Dias labels him as “super-intelligent” because of the ability to play virtually anywhere on the pitch.
‘Bernardo is able to understand the game and have confidence to play in completely different positions. Last season he went from right wing to left-back at certain moments,’ said Dias admiringly.
Ruben Dias has hailed Silva’s versatility and ‘super-intelligence’, saying that few match him
Silva recently signed a new long-term contract at the Etihad, dampening Barcelona’s hopes of snapping him up
‘I think this is an ability that very few people have in the world of football. He has taken his game to a new level.
‘I am as impressed by this as anyone, to have that ‘super-intelligence’ of the game would be no bad thing.’
The two friends have very different personalities despite working together to help City win four league titles in five years.
‘I am a lot more relaxed than Ruben,’ reveals Bernardo. ‘He is someone who in my opinion might sometimes even be too hardworking.
‘It might be because of where he plays, in his position you can’t relax for a second, a single error can lead to a goal that costs you.
‘I play a bit further up the pitch, where perhaps this happens less often. So this pause that I can have, you can’t have in his position.’
