Three games after Joao Cancelo left Manchester City because he couldn't displace Nathan Ake at left-back, and Ake has not played at left-back once.
At Arsenal, in City's biggest game of the season, Pep Guardiola repeated his experimental back three, with Bernardo Silva effectively making that a back-four by slotting in on the left out of possession. When Guardiola said earlier this month that he had a midfielder in mind who could fill the void left by Cancelo, we can probably assume that Bernardo was that player.
Bernardo was brilliant against Aston Villa, patrolling the base of midfield with Rodri and working well to cover the fact that City were without a left-back. He was so good that Guardiola kept the same system at Arsenal, but Bukayo Saka may have exposed one of the biggest risks in letting Cancelo leave.
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This isn't to say Cancelo should or shouldn't have been allowed to leave. City have a clear policy that unhappy players can depart, and they have enough quality players to manage. Bernardo's relocation to a full-back proves that, and it's a tactic that could prove extremely effective against many Premier League opponents.
Arsenal are not an ordinary opposition, though, and in Saka they have one of Europe's most dangerous, most in-form wingers. Ake kept him quiet at the Etihad in the FA Cup last month, but Ake was used in a back three at the Emirates with Bernardo tasked with a man-to-man job on Saka.
For a while, it worked, with Saka pushed back and Bernardo winning the battle. But one late challenge became two, and two became three, resulting in a deserved booking for Bernardo. At one point, Guardiola used a break in play to issue some animated instructions to Bernardo and Ake, beckoning over Ilkay Gundogan to join the conversation, but it didn't prevent the yellow card that Bernardo would pick up.
After the game, Guardiola insisted he wanted to keep Bernardo on for his footballing intelligence, so confident that his player would adapt his game knowing he was on a booking without being sent off. "He doesn't lose his head," said Guardiola. "So intelligent, so clever to know how to adapt immediately."
Still, Saka had a free run on Bernardo in the second half, and Guardiola changed things on the hour mark to bring on Manu Akanji in defence and switch Ake to left-back. The switch nullified Saka, solidified City, and set the Blues on their way to a vital victory. It also proved as a reminder that there isn't one single solution to replacing Cancelo.
On one hand, the fact that Bernardo's booking meant a change of system was required might also concern Guardiola. While Saka is a formidable opponent, if City want to win the Champions League they will have to come up against better wingers.
Ake is a solid option, and may well have started against Arsenal if Bernardo hadn't played so well at the weekend - although it feels telling that Ake has been overlooked at left-back from the start for three games now. Bernardo is the sixth player to be tried on the left this season.
Bernardo, on the whole, was as good at Arsenal as he was against Villa. His heat map will cover the majority of the pitch, and he showed flashes of his attacking best when he was pushed forwards after Akanji's introduction - winning the ball after dithering from Aleks Zinchenko to spark the move for City's second.
It's undoubtedly a positive that Bernardo is showing he can play as a winger, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder and full-back all in the space of 90 minutes. Guardiola noted how Bernardo started at left-back and ended on the right wing - 'Few players can do that," he said. Bernardo's versatility will be needed in a hectic schedule until the end of the season. It's also a positive that Guardiola has found a system that allows him to play all four of Bernardo, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne.
Ultimately, Guardiola's tactics, and his awareness to change system in-game, showed that maybe there won't be a designated replacement for Cancelo. It's down to the whole side to protect that area.
Bernardo could be central to that squad-wide effort.
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