Bernardo: Defeat has a Silva lining
Bernardo Silva insists there is no sense of panic as Manchester City try to recover from their false start in the Champions League. City fluffed their lines badly on opening night as they were deservedly beaten at home by Lyon. So it leaves little wriggle room as they travel to face tournament newcomers Hoffenheim on Tuesday. On paper, City’s group looked very appealing as they avoided some of the heavyweights that the other English clubs have drawn. But after dropping three points already, there can be no repeat in Germany, or when they play Shakhtar Donetsk later this month. “The result against Lyon puts a bit on pressure on ourselves,” says the Portuguese midfielder. “We didn’t want to start the competition that way. “It wasn’t a good match for us. We were not intense, we didn’t press high and we did not create enough chances to score goals. “But it was better to get this result out of the way in the first match than in the last ones. Knowing that, we have to go after a win in this next game. “We are not panicking. We have an amazing team and we know that. We will try to improve. “We cannot underestimate the three opponents in our group. All our games are now important because we need those points to qualify.” The result and performance in losing 2-1 to Lyon made a mockery of their status as favourites to win the whole competition next May. Silva laughs off suggestions that City are the team to beat in Europe, given they have only ever reached one previous semi-final. “Personally, I don’t think we are favourites,” he argues. “If other people think that, it is up to them. “But pressure is a good thing. When you play for a club like Manchester City, you have to get used to pressure as you are playing in the best competitions. “It means you are good and people expect a lot of things from you. “I know we have a fantastic team but if you look in the past we have never won this competition, so other teams are more experienced.”