If you could sign one of these midfield geniuses, who would you take, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva or Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes?
It is a tough decision. They are both Portuguese footballers who can score goals and set up their teammates through sublime passes. Both 29 years old, too, and perhaps in their prime as professional soccer players.
Sure, having either world class player would be golden for your professional soccer team. Yet I’d have to lean towards signing Silva. Who is just an incredible player in tight spaces and wiggling out of pressure. Defenders think they have him cornered or contained when all of a sudden he breaks free. Some highlights from last year as proof below.
Silva’s style of play is a bit unorthodox, how he dribbles in an unpredictable manner. He can also shield and protect the soccer ball while under pressure and then find that killer pass. Above all though, he is a tenacious, hard-working playmaker. Moreover, Silva has a habit of just turning up everywhere on the soccer field and offering an outlet of support.
In this video, Bernardo Silva talks about what makes him the player he is, an understanding of the game as the thing that sets him apart. He discusses his work rate, his positional versatility, and the perfect balance he brings to the Manchester City team.
But Bruno Fernandes is certainly no slouch on the soccer field.
Here, Jarell Quansah’s lapse in concentration results in a fabulous goal from Bruno Fernandes, where the Manchester United captain chips Caoimhin Kelleher from near the halfway line to make it 1-1 against Liverpool.
However, I don’t think this is a chip where you get under the soccer ball. Instead, Fernandas strikes through the ball with part of his instep to drive the ball into the net. It is another level of skill.
For Fernandes, there is this amazon stat: throughout Europe he is tops in chances created. He bests Martin Odegaard in the English Premier league and Ilkay Gundogan in all of Europe. Those are quite the stats. Maybe with Manchester United he just needs better finishers he’s serving up those chances too.
CHANCES CREATED 2023/24 (ALL COMPETITIONS)
140: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
120: Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona)
CHANCES CREATED IN 2023/24 PREMIER LEAGUE
99: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
91: Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
Above all, Fernandes is exceptional at not only diagonal long balls but clipped in crosses on to the running path of attackers. Certainly proven in the stats above he is a master at finding the killer pass. He has superb vision to pick out players with blind passes or through balls.
Incidentally, I am almost convincing myself to pick Fernandes over Silva. However, if you just look at all the trophies Silva has won at Manchester City that seems like strong evidence who you should pick. It is a tough call in the Fernandez versus Silva debate though.
Although there’s one weakness that Fernandes has more than Silva, it is that he’s more volatile and emotional at times on the soccer pitch. While it is good to be passionate, sometimes Fernandes’ frustration boils over and doesn’t help his play on the field. He maybe takes unnecessary risks with the ball during these emotional outbursts or over does it when he suffers a foul.
Consequently, in the picking Bruno Fernandes or Bernardo Silva debate, you’d have to go with Silva.
