LET’S DO THE JOB
City ace Silva wants to make history
BERNARDO SILVA has called on Manchester City to forget the hype – and make history.
The Portuguese midfielder says Pep Guardiola’s men are taking nothing for granted after being installed as Champions League favourites ahead of their quarter-final clash with Lyon in Lisbon on Saturday.
The Blues have suffered some cruel twists of fate in Europe in recent years and Silva believes those experiences will sharpen their focus as they look to land the trophy that has eluded them in the past 10 years.
Silva, who celebrated his 26th birthday by flying into his home city on Monday, said: “Manchester City has never won this competition and most of our players haven’t won it yet, including me. Winning it has always been a target for the players and the club. It will be very special to win it.
“For me, even more so because it’s my city and it’s an extra motivation to fight for the trophy here in Lisbon.
“If we could do it this year, it would be a proud moment and we would include our names in the history of the club.”
Silva was part of the Monaco team that knocked out City on away goals in 2017 and last year he felt the pain himself when Guardiola’s side suffered a cruel VAR break that sent Tottenham into the semis.
Lyon accounted for Juventus in the last round, and
Silva said: “Anything can happen. Juventus were knocked out by Lyon and we have seen lots of surprises in the competition in recent years, like when we lost against Tottenham.
“It’s very difficult to predict the games. The fact that Liverpool and
Real Madrid are out is not going to make our path easier.
“That would be a wrong thought. All the teams in Lisbon are here because they deserve it. We need to be at our best.”
Silva has struggled for consistency over the year-long season and there have been whispers in Manchester that his head has been turned by interest from Barcelona.
But he added: “I love being at Manchester City
– I feel it’s my home now. I think there is no secret – Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. To me, it’s been a privilege and a pleasure to work under his tutelage every day for the last three years.”