Bernardo Silva’s center-back role and the limits of a positional experiment
07 June 2026
Bernardo Silva described Pep Guardiola’s centre-back experiment against Arsenal as “uma loucura” — madness. Guardiola then moved the experiment to left-back, and still called the first-half version “horrible.”
In that first plan, Nathan Aké was at left-back and Bernardo was next to Rúben Dias. After another training session, Guardiola altered the setup. Aké moved inside to centre-back, Bernardo went to left-back, and the most extreme version stayed on the training pitch. 1
Podcast: Why the False 9 Is Dead — Episode 47·Rueda de Prensa: "Cambiamos la Estructura en el Descanso"·Artikel: Die Rückkehr der Dreierkette in der Bundesliga·Blog: Le Pressing Haut — Une Arme à Double Tranchant·Entrevista: "O Futebol Brasileiro Precisa Repensar a Marcação"·記者会見：「後半のシステム変更が勝因だった」·Conferenza Stampa: "La Difesa a Tre Ci Dà Più Equilibrio"·Podcast: Waarom Ajax Teruggrijpt naar Totaalvoetbal — Afl. 32·مقال: الضغط العالي يعيد تشكيل كرة القدم العربية·인터뷰: "K리그의 전술 혁명은 이제 시작이다"·
Podcast: Why the False 9 Is Dead — Episode 47·Rueda de Prensa: "Cambiamos la Estructura en el Descanso"·Artikel: Die Rückkehr der Dreierkette in der Bundesliga·Blog: Le Pressing Haut — Une Arme à Double Tranchant·Entrevista: "O Futebol Brasileiro Precisa Repensar a Marcação"·記者会見：「後半のシステム変更が勝因だった」·Conferenza Stampa: "La Difesa a Tre Ci Dà Più Equilibrio"·Podcast: Waarom Ajax Teruggrijpt naar Totaalvoetbal — Afl. 32·مقال: الضغط العالي يعيد تشكيل كرة القدم العربية·인터뷰: "K리그의 전술 혁명은 이제 시작이다"·
Press Conference: "We Didn't Expect Them to Press So High"·Article: La Révolution des Latéraux Inversés en Ligue 1·Interview: "Der Gegenpressing-Ansatz war entscheidend"·Podcast: El Mediocampista Box-to-Box Ha Vuelto — Ep. 89·Artigo: A Linha de Cinco — Defesa ou Covardia?·Blog: Perché il Calcio Italiano Sta Riscoprendo il Catenaccio·ポッドキャスト：Jリーグの戦術トレンド — 第25話·مؤتمر صحفي: "غيرنا الخطة في الشوط الثاني"·
Press Conference: "We Didn't Expect Them to Press So High"·Article: La Révolution des Latéraux Inversés en Ligue 1·Interview: "Der Gegenpressing-Ansatz war entscheidend"·Podcast: El Mediocampista Box-to-Box Ha Vuelto — Ep. 89·Artigo: A Linha de Cinco — Defesa ou Covardia?·Blog: Perché il Calcio Italiano Sta Riscoprendo il Catenaccio·ポッドキャスト：Jリーグの戦術トレンド — 第25話·مؤتمر صحفي: "غيرنا الخطة في الشوط الثاني"·
Podcast: The Asymmetric Back Four — Episode 112·Entrevista Exclusiva: "El 4-3-3 Ya No Es Suficiente"·Conférence de Presse: "On a Changé le Système à la Mi-Temps"·Podcast: Pressing und Gegenpressing — Folge 58·Articolo: Il Ritorno del Trequartista nel Calcio Moderno·Conferência de Imprensa: "Mudámos a Abordagem no Segundo Tempo"·블로그: 현대 축구에서 수비형 미드필더의 진화·
Podcast: The Asymmetric Back Four — Episode 112·Entrevista Exclusiva: "El 4-3-3 Ya No Es Suficiente"·Conférence de Presse: "On a Changé le Système à la Mi-Temps"·Podcast: Pressing und Gegenpressing — Folge 58·Articolo: Il Ritorno del Trequartista nel Calcio Moderno·Conferência de Imprensa: "Mudámos a Abordagem no Segundo Tempo"·블로그: 현대 축구에서 수비형 미드필더의 진화·
Analysis: The Rise of Hybrid Wing-Backs·Analyse: La Montée du Bloc Médian Agressif·Data: Set-Piece Routines Across 12 Leagues·Entrevista: "La Presión Alta es Nuestra Identidad"·Feature: How Set-Piece Coaches Are Changing the Game·Artikel: Die neue Rolle des Sechsers·
Analysis: The Rise of Hybrid Wing-Backs·Analyse: La Montée du Bloc Médian Agressif·Data: Set-Piece Routines Across 12 Leagues·Entrevista: "La Presión Alta es Nuestra Identidad"·Feature: How Set-Piece Coaches Are Changing the Game·Artikel: Die neue Rolle des Sechsers·
Video: Como o Botafogo Cria Superioridade no Meio·Podcast: Les Transitions Rapides en Ligue 1·Press Conference: "The First Pass Was the Trigger"·Notebook: Rest Defence and the Counter-Press·Interview: "The Diamond Midfield Gives Us Control"·기사: 하이프레스 전술이 아시아 축구를 바꾸고 있다·
Video: Como o Botafogo Cria Superioridade no Meio·Podcast: Les Transitions Rapides en Ligue 1·Press Conference: "The First Pass Was the Trigger"·Notebook: Rest Defence and the Counter-Press·Interview: "The Diamond Midfield Gives Us Control"·기사: 하이프레스 전술이 아시아 축구를 바꾸고 있다·
Scout Report: The Return of the Libero·Blog: Why Wide Centre-Backs Are Playmakers Now·TACTICAL BRIEF: BOX MIDFIELDS EVERYWHERE·Thread: Build-Up Traps in the Half-Space·Röportaj: "Taktiksel Esneklik Anahtardı"·Artículo: El Declive del Delantero Centro Tradicional·
Scout Report: The Return of the Libero·Blog: Why Wide Centre-Backs Are Playmakers Now·TACTICAL BRIEF: BOX MIDFIELDS EVERYWHERE·Thread: Build-Up Traps in the Half-Space·Röportaj: "Taktiksel Esneklik Anahtardı"·Artículo: El Declive del Delantero Centro Tradicional·
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