What Makes Bernardo Silva So Good?

When Manchester City signed Bernardo Silva, their fans had much reason to be excited about the £43 million arrival. The Portuguese was just off the back of a season with AS Monaco in which he scored 8 goals and assisted 11 in Ligue 1 in France. While playing against Manchester City in the Champions League during the 2017/2018 season, Silva playing both on the right and the number 10 in Manchester and Monaco. On both nights, he may not have caught the attention of many City fans having no shots on target or assists to his name. Players such as Benjamin Mendy and Kylian Mbappe would have understandably caught the eye. However, despite this, the Portuguese International made an impression on City manager Pep Guardiola who brought the player to Manchester just a few months later. The player came to England with little fanfare but has slowly become one of their, if not the most crucial player for the blue side of Manchester. Here are some statistics to show why the two-time Premier League win is so important and not just a playmaker.

First of all, Silva is a goal threat to the opposition. Last season for Manchester City he got a goal or assisted every 203 minutes with seven goals and assists. He also provided 13 goals and assists across all competitions. While these numbers alone do not jump off the page compared to midfielders past like Frank Lampard is it Silva's ability to contribute going forward while still being a reliable asset defensively that makes him so valuable. Many were left surprised by his exclusion from the FIFA "Best Player" award. When asked Pep said, "I don't think one player had a better season than Bernardo Silva last season."

In recent years where defensive forwards such as Mario Mandžukić are getting credit as defensive forwards, it is time to point out Silva who of the best in the business. In the Premier League last season he carried the ball well with 2.4 dribbles per game. This number rose to 5.8 while playing for Portugal in the Nations League.  This is in comparison to teammate David Silva, who completed 1.4 dribbles per game. Bernardo also has 1.2 blocks per game compared to the Spaniard's 0.5. Both players averaged 0.7 interceptions per Premier League game. The Portuguese also made 0.5 more tackles a game with 2.4.

All of these numbers point to a very high work rate that allows the players around him to express themselves while at the same time providing many goals and assists. He is a player that is unique for  Manchester City and makes him almost impossible to replace in a starting XI. Perhaps with the increased use of statistics in football helping viewers understand the game better for all it is little details maybe players awards will begin to be dominated by players such as Silva.


Bernardo Silva Premier League Stats in Full 2018/2019

General:

Appearances: 31 (5)
Man of the Match:  4

Offensive:

Goals: 7
Assists 7
% Contribution to total goals: 14.7%
Shots Per Game: 1.7
Pass Sucess %: 86.1
Key Passes Per Game: 2
Average Passes Per Game: 47
Crosses Per Game: 2

Defensive:

Tackels Per Game: 1.4
Interceptions: 1.7
Fouls Per Game: 1.9
Dribbles Past Per Game: 1.4

Source WhoScored