“That doesn’t change” – Bernardo Silva offers verdict on Pep Guardiola’s position as Manchester City manager after Real Madrid loss | OneFootball

Bernardo Silva has offered his take on Pep Guardiola’s position as Manchester City manager after the club exited the Champions League before the last-16 stage.

Off the back of yet another history-defining campaign in the last season, the reigning Premier League champions have endured a remarkably steep drop off in performance levels and results so far this time around.

As such, Manchester City find themselves at risk of both a trophy-less season for the first time since Pep Guardiola’s maiden campaign at the club in 2016/17, as well as dropping out of the UEFA Champions League for the next campaign.

The latest damning result for the club came in Madrid on Wednesday night, as Carlo Ancelotti’s squad issued a 3-1 win over the Etihad Stadium club, making it 6-3 on aggregate and sending City packing their bags and out of Europe’s premier competition.

Some within the football community have tentatively suggested that the very best of Pep Guardiola may have passed, and that the legendary coach could be moving towards the end of his Manchester City reign.

Speaking to ESPN after Manchester City’s defeat to Los Blancos in the Spanish capital this week, Bernardo Silva was quizzed on how the players feel about Pep Guardiola as their head coach, and whether support remains for the 54-year-old despite the poor form.

The Portugal international responded without hesitation, “Yes, of course I do. That doesn’t change.”

He continued, “There is also total confidence in the players that we have in the squad because they are the same. A little older, of course, but now with new energy.”

Manchester City will be desperate to return to winning ways as soon as possible and bring smiles back to the faces of their supporters in their remaining Premier League challenges and their FA Cup pursuit, with Liverpool their next opponents.

City will remain determined to win in the English top-flight despite being largely ruled out of the race for a fifth successive Premier League title, knowing that they must secure a top-four finish for Champions League qualification.

The FA Cup could yet bring some glory however, as City prepare to take on Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round of the competition having defeated League Two’s Salford City and League One’s Leyton Orient so far.