Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola said Bernardo Silva is one of the best players he has ever had the fortune to coach after hailing his performance for Manchester City against Bayern Munich. Bernardo scored the Blues’ second goal in their 3-0 win against Bayern and produced an outstanding display in a right-wing role, having also played at left-back and holding midfielder this season. The 28-year-old is so often a go-to option for Guardiola in the biggest games and his battle against Alphonso Davies was absorbing at the Etihad, with Bernardo nutmegging him twice in the same play at one stage of the second half. Guardiola was full of praise for Bernardo after the game and said he didn’t need any instructions in whatever position he has asked to play in, such is his footballing intelligence.
Pep Guardiola said: “Bernardo is a football player, he can play everywhere because he understands the game perfectly and every action with and without the ball. When Davies starts to go you cannot stop, Bernardo has the ability to read the positions, give us an extra pass. He’s so important in these types of games, he can play holding midfielder. He’s so, so important player and lately he’s scoring goals, which he lacked a little bit, now he’s being decisive. He’s a player who you say is going to play in that position and you don’t have to say anything else. I’ve been lucky to coach some very good players for Barca and Bayern. He’s one of the best players I ever trained in my life, ever, he’s something special as a football player.”
Despite City’s advantage ahead of the second leg next week, Guardiola is taking nothing for granted and insists his players will also be aware of the danger at the Allianz Arena, such was Bayern’s quality at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola said: “I expect everything [from them], if we don’t do our game anything can happen. The most important thing the players on the pitch and off the pitch on the bench see the performance of Bayern, I don’t need to tell them the warning because they can see what can happen. They have 95 minutes. I had three years there, I know in Europe this team is special, you have to make two good games to knock out this type of team.”
