"Pep can't live without starting him", "We won't score more than 2 goals" - Manchester City fans react as 30-year-old star starts in Everton clash

Some Manchester City fans were unhappy with Pep Guardiola’s decision to include Bernardo Silva in the starting XI of their Premier League clash with Everton. The two sides are set to face off at Goodison Park on Saturday, April 19.

Manchester City are going through a rough campaign, and ahead of the Everton clash, sit in the fifth position on the Premier League table with 55 points after 32 games. One City player who has had a dip in form this season is Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese midfielder had only registered seven goal contributions for the Cityzens this term in 41 appearances across competitions.

Bernardo was an unused substitute in City’s last league match, a 5-2 win over Crystal Palace. However, the Portugal international was named at the right-wing position for the clash against the Toffees.

The decision to name Bernardo as a starter, however, didn’t sit well with some Manchester City fans, who took to social media to express their displeasure.

An X user wrote:

‘‘Pep can't live without starting Bernardo 😭''

Another tweeted:

‘‘Bernardo back in the squad and we won't score more than 2 goals if that.''

‘‘Why bernardo over doku wtf we do NOT need bernardo vs a low block,'' @TerrariaUpbeat queried.

‘‘Pep I’m begging you, name the price Bernardo’s blackmailing you with. We’ll start a GoFundMe, anything to keep him off that starting XI 😭🙏,'' @ErlingSync quipped.

‘‘Is khusanov alive? And why Bernardo man😭every time,'' @FodenCTID asked.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola on squad selection for Everton trip

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about his decision to make significant changes to this squad for the Everton clash. The Spaniard made four changes to his team that played in their 5-2 win against Crystal Palace.

Bernardo Silva, Ortega Moreno, Matheus Nunes, and Savinho were the four players who came into the starting XI against the Toffees. On his decision to rotate the squad, Guardiola said (via the club’s official website):

“I don’t like a big squad and now one or two players cannot even travel to Goodison Park,” he told the media in his pre-match press conference. ‘’That is terrible. It’s awful. It makes no sense for those players. Not even go to the bench, stay at home. They go home and say ‘what am I doing here?’ They cannot do their job.”

The Manchester City boss added:

“The most important thing is to analyse who will be more reliable than the other ones. This is important,” he added. The player can be reliable? Okay. We don’t need more. The players be like this season, like the previous seasons and play just 20% or 25%, he stays maybe we get another player for that position because he’s not reliable.

“I think that’s more than the quality because I have no doubts. You ask me how is the squad this season it’s exceptional. I don’t have any complaints about the club, I never have done, but it’s exceptional.

“But the problem is we didn’t have it. If you analysed with the players all fit – Rodri, John, Nathan, Manu and now Erling six weeks out, all of them are fit the team is exceptional. But unfortunately during the season we didn’t have that. The question is next season. If we have the players that they are not reliable and they want to stay here we will have to make a longer squad. That’s the balance we have to find talking and talking and talking.”