Bernardo Silva’s tirelessness in the Manchester City midfield makes him Pep Guardiola’s perfect disciple Man City 6-0 Watford: The FA Cup rout was inspired by the ceaseless sprinting of the diminutive Portuguese

Five minutes after Manchester City scored their opening goal, Etienne Capoue received a pass from a Watford teammate. Even before he had touched the ball, Bernardo Silva has started sprinting. The vital characteristic in a successful pressing game is not stamina or speed; it’s anticipation.

Capoue actually did his job brilliantly, dropping his shoulder to sidestep Bernardo and dribble infield and retain possession. But it was Bernardo’s reaction that told the story. While still pursuing Capoue like a sniffer dog that has picked up an overpowering scent, Manchester City’s midfielder put his hands to the back of his head and screamed in frustration.

It was the reaction you might expect of a player whose team has conceded an important goal or been knocked out of a competition, not merely missed the chance to make a tackle 80 yards from their own goal. Bernardo was visibly angered by his inability turn possession over during a game that they were already winning. That tells you all you need to know.

Uncharacteristic regularity

There are goals that we expect Manchester City to score. We have become hardwired to expect them, so prolific is this team and so well-drilled are their attackers. Leroy Sane creates an overlap on the left wing and pulls the ball back to Raheem Sterling, perhaps. Or Sergio Aguero drops a little deeper and plays a one-two before sliding the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper.

But we do not expect David Silva and Sterling to both win headers in the penalty area against opposition defenders, leading to Silva thrashing past the goalkeeper. Watford had thwarted Manchester City for 25 minutes, pressing high and yet still managing to crowd out Riyad Mahrez and Oleksandr Zinchenko when they headed for the touchline. But they had not prepared for short men with towering leaps. Open the floodgates.

But wind back that video ten seconds, and you will quickly find solace in familiarity. Abdoulaye Doucoure, attempting to start an attacking move, is robbed of possession by a Manchester City street urchin who just won’t stop hassling until he’s pinched your wallet. It’s that tackle that really creates the goal, before the unexpected leaps. Guess who?

Last October, I went to see Bernardo Silva on a drizzly morning at a student sports complex on the edge of Manchester. He was incredibly shy and keen to play down his achievements both in England and abroad, focused more on the future than the past. But Bernardo’s passion flickered most when I asked him why he thought Pep Guardiola loved him so much. Guardiola had labelled one recent display as a “masterpiece”.

“I think firstly it’s about my work rate,” Bernardo said.. “I’ve always tried to play for the team, not just for myself but for the whole team. I think I have the qualities that the manager wants: pressing high, creating chances, enjoying having the ball and enjoying controlling the game. But it starts with work rate.” Sweet music to his manager’s ears.

Noble pursuits

Manchester City were too good for Watford at Wembley, just as they have been too good for every team they have faced during this domestic treble. Before the game, ex-Watford full-back Paul Robinson was interviewed pitchside. His interviewer cheerfully asked Robinson how his former team should go about stopping Manchester City. “It’s just impossible sometimes,” was Robinson’s reply. Consider the cheer killed by truth.

Robinson was right, and victory eventually became sorry humbling. You might consider Watford’s pursuit of a consolation goal at 2-0, 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0 to be admirable, but it was also naivety that bordered on foolhardiness. Javi Gracia’s defensive line was so high that it was halfway up the steps of Wembley Park tube station. Jesus hasn’t been given gifts like these since the three wise men followed the star.

City’s passing triangles and movement in the final third is indefatigable, and if the starting XI doesn’t get you then the substitutes probably will. De Bruyne’s goal – City’s third – made Guardiola blow kisses to the stand so sublime was the timing and composure. The sheer dominance of this team may well warp competition within English football for years to come, and there’s an argument about whether that’s a good thing for anyone other than City supporters. Yet there is at least beauty to be found in the micro.

But if seamless attacking is the byproduct, dedication and hard work is the method. No City player epitomises that principle more than Bernardo. He is Guardiola’s perfect disciple and the embodiment of one of Johan Cruyff’s great tenets: Make the pitch feel big when we have the ball, make it seem small when we don’t.

The right mindset

This is what Graeme Souness meant in his rant about Manchester United, albeit badly expressed and with an added layer of bitterness that covered up the valid points he made. Passion and commitment don’t have to mean blood pouring out of wounds and players vomiting after 14-mile runs in preseason. It’s about a hunger and demand to make a difference rather than passing on responsibility. It’s about screaming in frustration because you failed to make a tackle, not jogging back because someone else will probably help you out.

By the time Jesus had scored the fourth, given half of HA9 to run into, City were condensing a magisterial domestic season into 90 minutes. Try to hold out? Good luck. Try to attack us? Our thoughts are with you. City scored 42 goals in the domestic cup competitions alone in 2018/19.

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And still Bernardo ran. With his team 5-0 and then 6-0 up in the final ten minutes of their season, he ran. With Watford supporters and players waiting for the blessed relief of full-time, he ran. With Guardiola watching on like a proud father, he ran. Bernardo ran because he knows he should. He ran because he wants to. And he ran because it makes him better and makes those around him better. And that’s just about Guardiola’s perfect definition of teamwork.