Manchester City have unusually deployed Bernardo Silva at left-back in their recent matches.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola raised a few eyebrows when allowing Joao Cancelo to leave on loan for Bayern Munich during the January transfer window, but that was nothing compared to when selecting one of his stop-gap replacements further down the line.
Even in a dressing room as star-studded as the one City boast, Cancelo had been a shining light over the past two or three seasons, even if he struggled for game-time following the World Cup break. But the choice was made and Cancelo promptly boared a flight to Bavaria.
City have been anything but in full flight this season, although there is every chance Guardiola and his players could end up with another Premier League medal. They might go one better, too, and finally end their hoodoo in Europe under Abu Dhabi ownership.
If that happens, they might point towards some unconventional tactics as being their catalyst – namely opting to deploy Bernardo Silva as an auxiliary left-back. Having carved his reputation as a fleet-footed attacker, it was beyond surprising to see the Portuguese line up against title rivals Arsenal in that position.
Had it been against lower-level opposition in a cup competition, there almost certainly would not have been the same collective gasp which drew from the turnstiles and those watching on from home when it filtered through our news feed. Bernardo’s first task? Marking in-form Bukayo Saka.
As it transpired, Guardiola made that call to give Arsenal something different to think about. It certainly did that and, regardless, City went on to record what could prove to be a vital three points in their latest defence.
“I put Bernardo there because I want to control them,” said Guardiola reflecting on his eye-catching decision. “I want to dominate and thought with Bernardo we would be able to do it. It happened, maybe not, I don’t know. But I have to feel it. All the decisions I take are always in that sense.”
Bernardo was not deployed as an orthodox full-back, as such, but those wildcard tactics might ultimately offer an improved Jack Grealish what he has been craving since his £100million switch; freedom to pick up space and replicate those swashbuckling performances from his days with beloved hometown club Aston Villa.
“When I was at Villa I would always have an overlapping full-back,” said Grealish after coming off the bench to help City earn a draw with an assist against Chelsea last month. “I don’t want to keep going back to Aston Villa but, when I played for Dean Smith, he’d say to me; ‘Go and find where you think the weak link is in the defence. If you want to go right, in the middle, hug the touchline’.”
Similarly to his manager, Grealish thrives on scope to trust his instincts. Although the modern game has seen numbers and statistics universally govern debates on particular players, the England playmaker can not simply be judged by goals and assists as he offers City a different dimension to that.
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne principally deal with those aspects, with notable contributions from their star-studded teammates, but Grealish draws attention by wandering, gaining yards in transition and, of course, picking up more than his fair-share of fouls. Bernardo and his renewed presence can help him further there.
Admittedly not to Marcus Rashford levels, Grealish has enjoyed his own upturn since the World Cup and now seems to be at home in a City shirt. He has thrived on added responsibility in recent weeks with contributions against Leeds, Chelsea, Manchester United and the Gunners adding to his direct goal involvements this season which reads an impressive seven in 18 top-flight appearances.
Numbers are not the be-all and end-all for Grealish, but crucial moments such as those will calm any lingering doubters and, also, put his own mind at rest. By having Bernardo for company, he has been presented with an added licence to float around and dovetail with City’s other attacking weapons.
It is that freedom which Grealish craves most.
SOURCE: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
