Latest news with #BernardoSilva
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Pep Guardiola's summer rebuild has restored Manchester City's old swagger
The winds of change are blowing through Manchester City but some things remain the same. Different faces and a different time - but that old familiar swagger returned at Molineux. Three thousand travelling supporters, basking in the sunshine along the foot of the Steve Bull Stand, sang: 'City are back.' Had they ever really been away? Two years have passed since the epoch-defining treble and only four of the side that started on the club's greatest night in Istanbul were named by Pep Guardiola at Molineux. And two of them - John Stones and Bernardo Silva - are in the final year of their contract. There's no Kevin de Bruyne, no Rodri and no Jack Grealish. Moved on, laid up and kicked out. Ederson - the cornerstone of everything Guardiola stands for - is on the cusp of a move to Turkey. Club warrior, Kyle Walker, is finding out how the other half live in Burnley. And Ilkay Gundogan, on the substitutes' bench, should have 999 on the back of his shirt: Only to be used in an emergency. It feels like a new page was being turned at Molineux. And this new-model side needs to re-establish the credentials that carried it to so much success. This was a pretty good start. Manchester City's cloak of invincibility was torn - not shredded - last season but this is elite sport and, as the watching public is told repeatedly, the margins are fine. Standards need to slip by a few degrees of competency and results can be affected. There is no hiding place, after all. And once the confidence-supreme upon which the club's success was built is slowly eroded, then others will scent blood. That's how it was at Molineux. Initial trepidation among the home support. Fifteen minutes of adhering to a tight shape and then those in the old gold shirts began to chance their luck. Marshall Munetsi had a goal wiped out for offside and the natives smelled blood. They should have known better. This vintage do not possess De Bruyne's magical quality of creating something out of nothing. This painter of pictures, this ammunition-provider, has moved to pastures new to Naples, where the microscope will be equally fierce. Guardiola has had to find someone else to load the gun but no-one yet knows the true pedigree of Tijjani Reijnders, Oscar Bobb or Nico Gonzalez. Are they the real deal, capable of stringing together victory after victory? Of inhabiting the rarefied air at the top of the Premier League and fighting battles on several fronts? It might be over-stating the situation after the evidence of one 90-minute performance but while there were glitches in the system, there was hope of a return to the all-conquering days of the year before last. All that pressure was bound to tell on a group of players that was getting old together. It needed refreshing. It needed looked at again. And the post-season interview from Sheikh Mansour suggested that this was very much the case as a new cluster of players look set to prove themselves worthy of a club that has become conditioned to winning during the past decade. It is still too early to tell from where the next crop of heroes will come but there can be no doubting the quality of some of them. For instance, the outstanding invidivual on show was Reijnders. In the white-hot heat of the engine-room at this level, Rodri has proved himself supreme. Any team on the planet would miss the talent of a man who picked up the Ballon d'Or and his absence is again a source of worry. But not so much now as the £46m AC Milan midfielder looked more than capable of providing a viable alternative. It can be said right now: The prospect of Rodri teaming up with this guy will be one to savour. And what of Nico Gonzalez? He has proved more of a miss than a hit since his arrival at the club but there were the signs of recovery in his play. Rayan Ait-Nouri was a withdrawn soul on this, on his return to his former club, but he did enough to suggest that he will become a favourite and well capable of plugging a gap on the left-hand side defence. It has been an Achilles heel for some time. Maybe no more. It was difficult to pass judgement on keeper James Trafford because the visitors dominated but he was clean, tidy and did what he had to do. The faces from yesteryear will never fade away at the Eithad. They achieved too much. But time waits for no man in football. Guardiola, and his paymasters have recognised that. Ninety minutes is not a decent sample size. But it's fair to say that whatever was broken last season is well on its way to being mended.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Wolves vs Man City live: Foden a doubt as Guardiola prepares to hand out debuts on Premier League opening weekend
Wolves host Manchester City in the Premier League 's late kick off this evening hoping to begin the new season with a positive result against Pep Guardiola 's former champions. Both teams have undergone renewals during the summer with Wolves having sold five key players including Matheus Cunha, Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri who joined their opponents today. The midlands club may struggle to find some rhythm with this being the first game of the season but any result other than a loss will be a big plus for them. City, meanwhile, have let former captains Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker move on to pastures new with Bernardo Silva now in possession of the armband. He is tasked with leading the club back to the top of the table and they already trail Liverpool by three following the Reds' win over Bournemouth yesterday.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man City stars celebrate Bernardo Silva's 31st birthday
Go behind the scenes as Manchester City players come together to celebrate Bernardo Silva's 31st birthday.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bernardo Silva: Six of the best
As Bernardo Silva celebrates his 31st birthday, we take a look back at six of his most influential appearances in a City shirt. Our new captain is entering his ninth season at the Etihad Stadium and what a remarkable player he's been throughout his time here. Bernardo has made more than 400 appearances for the Club, winning 17 trophies and scoring 73 goals. SUBSCRIBE TO CITY+ But one characteristic that is not captured by statistics is his breathless energy and drive in every single one of those appearances. A relentlessness that has helped pushed us to incredible success and secured his status as a City legend. Here's a look back at half a dozen of those unforgettable performances – a snapshot of a glittering eight years ahead of a campaign where the Portuguese will again lead; this time wearing the armband. WATCH: Watch: The best of Bernardo after 400 City appearances City 4-0 Real Madrid Wednesday 17 May 2023 | Champions League | Etihad Stadium There have been many memorable nights at the Etihad Stadium and our Champions League semi-final victory over Real Madrid is right up there with the best of them. Bernardo featured at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg 1-1 draw in Spain but wasn't happy with his own performance. He more than compensated in the return in a magnificent victory that was one of the greatest performances in the history of the tournament. Thibaut Courtois somehow kept the scoreline goalless until the 23rd minute when brilliant Bernardo beat him at his nearpost. The little genius then doubled our advantage with a clever header before goals from Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez secured a thrilling 4-0 win and a place in the final. 'I had to do better for my teammates and the fans, and that's what I tried to do,' he said modestly. 'I'm very happy to help them. I'm very good with my head! I'm small but very good with my head.' City 2-1 Liverpool Thursday 3 January 2019 | Premier League | Etihad Stadium City and Liverpool went head-to-head in an epic title race in 2018/19 that we eventually triumphed in, on the final day of the season. We were seven points behind Jurgen Klopp's unbeaten side when they arrived in the New Year and in need of a victory to pull ourselves closer. There were some unforgettable moments – John Stones' remarkable goalline clearance and brilliant strikes from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane. But it was an all-round team performance with everyone making a huge contribution with Bernardo certainly among them. He ran 13.7km, the most any player had in a Premier League that season – beating his own mark of 13.65km set against Tottenham. Pep Guardiola reflected: 'He is incredible. I haven't seen a performance like that in a while. It was clean and clever.' City 8-0 Watford 21 September 2019 | Premier League | Etihad Stadium Bernardo scored his only hat-trick for the Club when City set a new milestone for our highest ever win in the top-flight. The Hornets were possibly bruised from a record 6-0 FA Cup final defeat months earlier when we secured all four domestic trophies in the 2018/19 season. And City were rampant again, scoring inside 52 seconds and leading 5-0 after just 18 minutes. Bernardo headed home the fourth, before converting David Silva's pass for a sixth after the break. He completed his hat-trick on the hour when he converted Kevin De Bruyne's cross to claim the matchball. 'I'm going to get all the players to sign my ball and then I'll take it home to Portugal and keep it in a special place,' he said. City 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain Wednesday 24 November 2021 | Champions League | Etihad Stadium Guardiola's side secured a place in the last-16 with Bernardo simply flawless against the French side. Goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus turned the game on its head after we had fallen behind to Kylian Mbappe's second half-strike against the run of play. And Bernardo was unstoppable as he completed 100% of his 47 passes in a game we dominated despite the narrow scoreline. Those passes included an exquisite assist for Jesus to claim the win with 13 minutes of the match remaining. Bernardo had featured in every game of the season up until that point and many pundits were raving about his performances including ex-City defender Micah Richards. 'He can do everything,' he said. 'I love his attitude and watching all the work he puts in for the team. You don't often get flair players who are great out of possession too, but it doesn't seem to bother Silva because he just does not stop running.' Manchester United 0-3 City Sunday 29 October 2023 | Premier League | Old Trafford Bernardo described this Manchester derby victory as one of the best performances he'd been involved in during his time at City. After an unforgettable Treble year, it showed that the desire was still burning throughout the squad. Erling Haaland scored twice and Phil Foden added a third, but it was Bernardo who took the man of the match award despite not being on the scoresheet. 'To win here 3-0, with this crowd, I think it's one of the best performances we've done in the past,' he said. 'When we come to these types of places, Anfield, Old Trafford, we know what teams are waiting for. For us to lose the ball and counter.' It was a mentality that would take City to incredible heights as we became the first ever men's team to win four top-flight titles in a row. Aston Villa 1-2 City Wednesday 1 December 2021 | Premier League | Villa Park The 2021/22 season was another titanic tussle with Liverpool where every dropped point seemed highly significant. So going to a lively Villa Park on a midwinter's night is always going to be a tough test. And there was extra spice added with former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard in charge of the Villans and still unbeaten as manager. The perfect opportunity then to unleash one of the most outstanding team goals of the season to secure victory. A sublime attack, started in our own box, was deftly rounded off by Bernardo's exquisite side-footed volley into the top corner. 'He has a special ability to do whatever he wants with the ball. Against a good goalkeeper it was an incredible finish,' Guardiola said.
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bernardo Silva on his biggest challenge as captain
Watch Bernardo Silva address Man City fans after being named club captain for the 2025/26 season.
