HOME FROM HOME FOR SILVA
But no room for sentiment from ruthless Bernardo
BERNARDO SILVA could be forgiven if he thinks he is back in Portugal today.
There will be so many familiar faces in the Wolves team that Manchester City’s Portuguese midfielder will certainly feel at home on his first visit to Molineux.
Apart from boss Nuno Espirito Santo, their squad includes exBenfica team-mates Ivan Cavaleiro and Helder Costa, international team-mates Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio and Joao Moutinho and ex-Monaco pal Ruben Vinagre.
But there will be no sentiment from Silva, who is only interested in maintaining City’s and his own sparkling early-season form.
He said: “We played really well against Chelsea in the Community Shield.
‘‘We played a great match against Arsenal and obviously it’s always amazing to start our home campaign with a win and to do so by beating Huddersfield 6-1 was perfect.
“We’re very happy and while we know it’s only the start we are happy with the way we have begun. Now we must continue against Wolves even though we know what a difficult game this will be – they have many quality players.”
Despite a successful first season at the Etihad following his £43m move from Monaco, Silva feels even more comfortable with a season in the Premier League under his belt.
He said: “I feel a lot better and more adjusted to the team.
“In your second season, it’s normal to feel more at home and that definitely applies to me. We all know there is plenty of hard work ahead in the coming months but it is great to start the way we have.”
Silva’s namesake, team-mate David Silva, admits it will be difficult for City to improve on last season’s record-breaking campaign.
But they will strive to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since neighbours United in 2009.
Harder
“It’s going to be very difficult to improve on what we did last season,” he said. “I think it happens once in a lifetime. We are going to try, knowing that every time is harder and harder.
“But we are on the right path. Trying to win consecutive titles is a big challenge for us. We have a great team and we are going to try to repeat the title success.
“Last season there were moments where we played ideal football – lots of goals and very few chances conceded. I think that is very unusual in football nowadays.”
David Silva marked his 250th Premier League game for City last weekend with a goal in front of his baby son Mateo, who had to fight for his life after being born 11 weeks premature last December, and who was watching him for the first time.
“It was a very special day,” he added. “Besides the milestone of my 250th game and the goal I scored, having my son there healthy at the stadium is something I will always remember.
“Reaching 250 Premier League games is very important. It’s my ninth season here. I have played lots of games, enjoyed lots of great moments too. This club is like a family to me.”
Silva hinted he will call it a day at the end of his contract in 2020 – when he will be 35.
“I have two more years on my contract here,” he said. “I feel great here. I want to stay until the end of my contract and then, I’ll see how I feel physically and mentally to carry on.”