Why Matheus Nunes must be benched for £43m Man City player at all costs vs Brentford – opinion

Why Matheus Nunes must be benched for £43m Man City player at all costs vs Brentford – opinion

In our view, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola should bench Matheus Nunes for Bernardo Silva in his side’s upcoming clash against Brentford.

 

The former Wolves midfielder earned rave reviews for his sparkling display against Burnley, with Micah Richards singling him out as City’s standout performer on Wednesday.

 

Joleon Lescott described the 25-year-old as a “driving force” for Pep Guardiola’s men during their 3-1 win against the Clarets.

 

But against a Brentford side who did the double over Manchester City last season, it may be wise to bench Matheus Nunes, despite his excellent showing in favour of the experienced Bernardo Silva for multiple reasons.

 

Why Manchester City midfielder Matheus Nunes should be benched for Bernardo Silva against Brentford

For starters, the treble-winner offers a lot more technical security than Nunes.

 

As Thomas Frank’s side is known for their energetic high-press that is signified by their overwhelming physicality and duel-winning abilities, the presence of a controller in the middle of the park for City would be priceless at the Gtech Community Stadium.

 

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Matheus Nunes is yet to be able to master how to receive the ball in the first phase of play and slow the game down, a skill Bernardo Silva is one of the best in the world at, which could allow Manchester City tame a Brentford side that thrive when they are given the license to be at their blistering best.

 

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The former AS Monaco technician is proficient at allowing his side to play the game at a variety of paces and settle into things, which would be worth its weight in gold at one of the toughest stadiums in English football.

 

 

Nunes, on the other hand, would perhaps embrace the potentially end-to-end game state and approach the contest with his all-action playing style, mainly by taking risks by dribbling past players on numerous occasions.

 

The £43 million (BBC Sport) man is an expert at reading the game, which allows him to adapt his approach based on whether he is required to control proceedings or take risks to up his side’s tempo.

 

With Kevin De Bruyne also expected to start and be the risk-taker for Manchester City in the middle of the park, a calmer presence in Bernardo Silva, who is also a technical genius could ensure that not his side do not concede excessive turnovers against a Brentford side that thrives in transition.

 

 

Furthermore, Silva is much more proficient than Nunes from a defensive perspective, especially in terms of positioning himself perfectly to win back the ball, which would also make him a key presence for the Sky Blues when trying to stop the Bees’ counter-attacks.

 

Ultimately, such changes in personnel should be made based on the opposition’s potential approach and the profiles of players they possess instead of purely picking a side on the basis of form.