It’s often thought by many Man City fans that Bernardo will eventually be the rightful heir to David Silva (no pressure Bernardo). Up until this point though, Bernardo has played primarily as a winger. Will he be able to convert to the centre midfield role? The team at Profit Accumulator have given us their opinions below using their matched betting service.
Can He Make The Switch?
We personally think that yes, he can make the switch to a central position. He is more than able to make the transition to the middle. The question is not if, but when.
With the signing of Mahrez imminent, it might be a statement of intent from Pep that Bernardo is destined for a more central role in the upcoming season.
It is fair to say that he has some development to do first. He is a very slight player. Even though David Silva isn’t much bigger, he does appear to have more muscle mass than Bernardo, which in a Premiership midfielder is absolutely vital.
Who Else Might Be Competing For A Spot?
The question of Bernardo moving more centrally will also be affected by the other players that Man City have in that position.
Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva are essential to our fluidity in the middle of the park. They’re both world class and could walk into any team. As long as they’re fit, they will play. Pep doesn’t really like to rotate too much as we have seen.
However it is fair to say that towards the end of the season we saw signs of fatigue from KDB. He is an important part of the squad and played most matches. There has also been talk of David Silva getting more time off to be with his family next season.
Next we have Gundogan. With the imminent transfer of (hopefully) Jorginho and Fernandinho still going strong, we may have seen the last of Gundogan as a number 6. This means most of his time will be spent competing for Bernardo’s new intended midfield role.
We also have Phil Foden, who despite his talent probably still won’t get many stars. One small positive for Bernardo might be that Yaya is leaving, but we all know that has very little effect.
It’s fair to say that the central midfield areas are quite clogged at the moment. Maybe it will take another season or two before we even need Bernardo to move into the middle of the park.
Predictions For Next Season
We think he will primarily still be on the wing for the foreseeable future, drifting into a midfield role during the match as he has done in the past year.
Even though Bernardo was a 10 in his previous clubs, he does still have a lot of development to do in order to play in those deep-lying roles that Silva and De Bruyne occupy. He may not be entirely comfortable yet with the quick, short-passing in the middle that is basically our core game.
We think he will eventually make the switch though, and with Pep as a mentor he has every chance of making the position his own. Pep clearly trusts him.
What do you think? Will Bernardo stay as a winger? Or will he move into the central positions? Let us know in the comments below.