Bernardo Silva recalls ‘crazy’ Pep Guardiola request he’ll remember ‘forever’ – ‘I loved it’
Bernardo Silva has recalled the “craziest” thing Pep Guardiola has ever asked of him, and it occurred in a crucial game against Arsenal in last season’s title race.
Last season, the Gunners were the side to beat in the Premier League for much of the campaign. They spent the majority of the season at the top of the table, before City caught them in the last few weeks.
When the pair met towards the back end of the campaign, things hung in the balance, and a win for either side would have been fairly detrimental to the other.
City came out 3-1 winners, but Silva has admitted that Guardiola asked him to play up against Bukayo Saka in a decision which the star feels could have backfired given the Arsenal man’s quality going forwards.
“The craziest thing he asked me to do was probably play on the wing at the Emirates against Saka,” Silva told A Bola.
“It wasn’t easy and it was a game of a lot of pressure because we were behind them and if we lost or drew this game we would be out of the fight for the Premier League.”
While it was a risk in Silva’s eyes, he admits he enjoyed the match – and City went on to win the title – and it will forever remain in his memory.
“Having to play that game against one of the best wingers in the league was the moment I will remember forever in my career. And I loved it, I loved it. In the end it was tough, but it was a great challenge, which I loved.”
Silva has also spoken about his desire to leave City at some point to return to Benfica. However, he knows it’s impossible at the moment, as he’d command too high a fee for the Portuguese outfit to be able to land him.
“I’ve never hidden the fact that one day I want to return, so of course I do. Now, we’ll see over time what’s possible and there’s no point in talking about it all the time, because people get tired of it. We’ll see,” he said.
“In the last four or five years I’ve been a player valued at over €50m and it’s impossible for a Portuguese club to pay that kind of money. People have to be a bit realistic.”
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