From David to - Manchester City's changing of the guard

A changing of the guard may be occurring before our eyes at Manchester City during the opening games of the Premier League season. As although they unsurprisingly lifted the Community Shield last week and cruised past Arsenal on Sunday different players are making the headlines. 

One of them is Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese maestro who signed last season for £43.5M after pulling the strings for Monaco during their 2017 title triumph. He found opportunities slim during his first season in England as a Spanish more experienced Silva starred in Bernardo’s favoured position during last season’s title win. 

He had to learn that in the English game, the ball is in play for a lot longer and the referee doesn't give every little foul. More importantly, he had to learn Pep's philosophy. The possession game and the high press. He had a part in 28 matches last season, with the majority of them being from the bench. He played in his unpreferred role on the right-hand side of a front three but still managed to score 6 goals and nab 4 assists in a campaign that was a learning curve for the small man from Lisbon. 

This season however may be a different story for the 24-year-old. With David Silva still recovering from his World Cup campaign with Spain, Bernardo finds himself playing in his preferred role. Centre attacking midfield, where he can dictate the tempo of the game and pull the strings, just like he did for Monaco the season before last. 

His claim for that role started last week in the Community Shield against Chelsea. He was the best player on the pitch by a mile and was the main reason why Pep Guardiola lifted his third piece of silverware at Manchester City. 

He thrived in that central role, his darting runs sliced through Chelsea’s midfield like a hot knife as no player in Chelsea’s colours even came close to taming him. With the ball, he was exquisite and without it, he was determined to win it back as he pressed high up the pitch. 

It came to no one's surprise that one of his many dangerous passes set free Sergio Aguero and allowed him to double City's lead. He saw a gap open up in Chelsea’s backline and pounced on the opportunity to send through a precise pass to Sergio. It was a classic Silva assist, not Bernardo but David. 

It was no different on Sunday afternoon when he started again against Arsenal. He pressed high and moved the ball about effortlessly. He efforts were then rewarded when he got on the end of a Benjamin Mendy cross and blasted it into the top right corner to put his team ahead. An iconic Silva finish, a curler with pace which always seems to hit the corner, not David but Bernardo. 

In Bernardo Silva, Manchester City have a player who can assist goals like David Silva has been doing for the past eight years but also one who has a rocket in his locker and lets it blast every so often.  Having just turned 24, he is the ideal replacement for an aging David Silva. He still has a lot to learn but you can’t help but notice that the replacement switch of the Silva’s may be happening right now without us knowing.