After facing failure in their efforts to sign the Manchester City midfielder, Bernardo Silva, in the last two summers, FC Barcelona are once again going to try to get the Portuguese playmaker in the coming summer transfer window.
Silva has been one of the favorite players for Xavi, and the Barcelona coach has long been convinced that his acquisition will improve his team to a significant level. But in addition to Xavi, Guardiola has also been lavish in his praise for his midfielder, and it is easy to understand why he would not be looking forward to a parting of ways with Silva.
In fact, the former Barcelona coach had recently highlighted one of the less obvious aspects of Silva’s game, i.e., his defensive contributions and pressing, and a report from SPORT also indicates that he not only excels in the offensive part of the game, but his defensive contributions are also key for his team.
Despite not being very strong physically, the Portuguese international has great stamina, and his understanding of the game allows him to recover a lot of balls. This season, he is averaging 3 recoveries in every game, and is winning 7.37 duels on an average.
Still, his most notable impact on the pitch comes mostly in the attacking areas, and this impact is clearly notable from his numbers. He has got 11 goals and 5 assists in 42 games this season, and needs only one more goal to reach his last year’s numbers.
He has also been playing higher up on the pitch, mainly as a right winger, and Foden has taken a spot in the midfield. However, this change has not led to a decline in the successful passing percentage for the Portuguese, as he is still completing 89.01% of his passes, while playing in the most risky areas of the pitch.
In addition to these numbers, Silva’s proven versatility also explains why Xavi is so keen to have him on his team. He has successfully played as an interior, a winger, and a false nine under Guardiola, and in Xavi’s current Barcelona set-up, he can fit in three of the four midfield positions and in two more attacking positions.
