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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has overseen a transition to a younger squad but they have a wise old head leading them
Pep Guardiola was happy enough after Manchester City's win over Liverpool to give reporters 15 minutes of his time. The result isn't always an indicator of how open City's manager wants to be about a game or how positive, so he must have been in a good mood after Liverpool.
One name that saw Guardiola's face instantly light up was Bernardo Silva. The 31-year-old was written off by many last season after becoming a lightning rod for criticism of an underperforming team; like Ilkay Gundogan, he was one of few players to stay fit but suffered as a result of everyone else being in the treatment room.
In March, Silva angrily denied the suggestion that he and others needed to be moved on in the sweeping changes that Hugo Viana was taking the lead on to rebuild the squad. Guardiola agreed, and having been accused of favouritism and being overly sentimental all season for picking Silva, the manager doubled down and made him captain for this season.
It has only been five months, but that already looks like a masterstroke. For all City have been energised by the fresh legs and faces in the team, they have been refocused by a man who knows exactly what it takes to reach the unprecedented heights that the team reached under Guardiola and will not settle for less than that.
"We talked a lot with each other in those moments, especially in the bad moments," Silva said in Palermo ahead of the new campaign. "You need to be straightforward with your guys. It was good.
"I think it was good because first of all we learned how to appreciate what we did in the past, which is not normal. We know that it's very difficult to replicate because going back, forgetting last season, on the last seven we have won six Premier Leagues, which is ridiculous. We know that it's probably not going to happen again.
"But at the same time it's not about winning or losing, it's about competing for the title. We didn't even give it a try.
"I think emotional-wise we're definitely back. In terms of being hungry again, we're back. Let's see if we have the quality because at the end, this is all very beautiful, but at the end the quality on the pitch will make a difference if we're prepared to perform or not."
One thing that Silva can never be accused of is not trying, and his engine is definitely still there; Phil Foden was the only player on the pitch to run more than him in Sunday's win over Liverpool. More than that though, the fight is there.
When Guardiola talks about the good vibes he is seeing in the squad, it is Silva who has taken responsibility to ensure that all of the players are giving off that energy. And when they take to the pitch, it is Silva ensuring they all go to war with each other.
City's captain hasn't been perfect this season and does have limitations to his game, yet he has started against Liverpool and Arsenal and led the team superbly. Everyone to a man, starting from him, put every ounce of effort and intelligence into those two games and were five minutes away from coming away with six points rather than an already-impressive tally of four.
"Bernardo was struggling last season, but he was there every single game," Guardiola beamed on Sunday. "Exhausted. After 50,60 minutes he could not run one minute, and in certain moments he said 'Pep, I'm drained. My mind is not anymore. It's defeat, defeat, defeat.'
"But he was there. And I said many times, that will not be forgotten. And Gundo was there, many players were there, and that's why he's my captain. Because in bad moments he proved...
"He has been an incredible signing for us. And in the way we played today, he's a master. The tempo, wanting the ball, accelerate, decelerate, intuition of where is the space to press or not, how to manage situations, many things.
"He's one of the most clever players I've ever met in my period as a manager."
It may have seemed clever last season to move on from Silva, but Guardiola knew how much value he still had. That decision could be priceless for City's hopes of silverware.
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