Julio Enciso has said that it is a tall task to get the ball off Bernardo Silva, despite his diminutive size.
As quoted by journalist Roberto Rojas, this claim does not come as a surprise, considering the £43 million (BBC Sport) man’s ball retention and technical security is second to none.
Despite scoring a stunner against Manchester City and being a nuisance throughout the contest, Julio Enciso found it a challenge to tame Bernardo Silva.
Julio Enciso taken aback by how Bernardo Silva retains the ball
Branded as ‘smart’ by Kevin De Bruyne for his versatility, the Portuguese international is the embodiment of a Pep Guardiola player in possession.
Silva’s understanding of when to take a risk and when to simply retain the ball may be the best at City, which allows him to operate at such a high level as both a right-winger as well as in central midfield.
Julio Enciso clearly noticed that when facing Bernardo Silva in a game that ended 1-1 between Manchester City and Brighton.
“He’s small but it’s impossible to get the ball away from him”, he said after naming the players he rates highly at the Etihad Stadium.
Bernardo Silva is one of the most complete footballers in the world
Funnily enough, when the former Monaco attacker joined the Sky Blues, he was quite underwhelming in his debut campaign and it’s safe to say that he was undeniably one-dimensional as well.
Under Pep Guardiola’s keen eye, Bernardo Silva has developed into one of the best all-round footballers on the planet, as the Brighton forward must have noticed.
There are simply so many sides to Silva’s game that it seems fictitious at times.
The five-time Premier League winner is evidently a technical phenomenon.
However, Bernardo Silva’s ability to execute that across roles and adjust to the tempo of a game displays his incredible football brain.
Whilst even defensively, somehow Silva has managed to become an absolute monster, cocooning into an elite No.8 during his time at the club.
Simply put, there is not much that the Manchester City fan favourite cannot do on a football pitch, which deserves a fair share of applause.
