Bernardo in City's 3-2-5
Thoughts about everted CM's, the need for dynamic movement and what Bernardo uniquely offers
Guardiola is often symbolically framed as the antithesis of ‘relationism’, a useful analytical concept created, or at least propagated by Jamie Hamilton. This antithetical relationship is largely related to him being the most successful and influential manager of the past 20 years, and thus metaphorically representing football’s greater shift to stucture, especially as it pertains to in possession aspects. This is is captured by the term positional play, something so universal that the meaning of the term has become diluted to platitude. The mention of ‘positional play principles’ is superficially indistinguishable from pseudo-analytic obfuscation for ‘kind of play like a regular team who wants to hold the ball and protect against transitions’.
However, juxtaposing this perception has been Bernardo Silva, who perhaps best represents the moving to the ball, rather than waiting on the ball to move to you aspect at Manchester City (Phil Foden last season stands as the other viable option). As a concept, its wordy, but it represents a crucial distinction – should you maintain stucture (taken here to encompass aspects like spatial dynamics and more rigid distances) largely irrespective of contextual circumstances, particularly in deeper regions where depth and ball-side support can often assure safe maintenance of the ball or should you seek to move towards the ball to find solutions in the moment, rather than thinking about subsequent transitions. Pep says, when you have the ball, you almost have to walk. Movements outside of ‘rational’ space occupation, particularly as you become detached from the ball, are often harmful to what occurs when you become an active possession actor (notwithstanding space creation for others through stretching and pinning). Movement creates unpredictability, the necessity to spontaneously react, gaps in long-term connective stucture, the need for constant filling and difficulties with transitions; which are more likely to occur with a more transitional, ball-oriented playstyle. So, you wait to become an active possession actor, there is a plan; overload to isolate: be ready to receive, but don’t be searching hungrily for the ball.
This has been pretty fruitful, especially when you consider the archetypical, escape from left-sided pressure to find Kevin de Bruyne free in the right half-space with Mahrez holding width, creating a 2v1 for the oppositions full back in transition. In these situations, you want Mahrez and KDB concerned with their duties postionally, rather than preoccupied with ball-sided concerns as City players look for an exit – the ‘walking’, staying in position and occupying crucial spaces to be placed more ‘optimally’ for predictable outcomes is what is crucial. Calm, patient, controlled; not forcing opportunities but recycling and continually occupying space in a way which provides connections across the pitch. For Manchester City players generally, the ball comes to them, they do not come to the ball.
This is what separates somebody like Pep perhaps from Roberto de Zerbi. For him the game is ideal in a more static place, with the opposition pinned and stucture strong before attempting final third transitions where sustained pressure is more likely. Somebody like de Zerbi is more about dynamic occupation of space within a positional stucture, having a base stucture for entries and exits, but encouraging tight interplay when attracting and bypassing pressure. The difference is perhaps where transitions occur and relate to factors such as teams managed, which effect opposition reaction and such. But, my intuition sides towards Pep preferring a consolidated stable game state of control compared to de Zerbi who is more transitional in his ideal, even if stucture is paramount, especially before launching the transition, and as it relates to far-sided positioning and so on and so on (this is too intricate for a tangent, but the base idea should remain). Essentially in the classic Guardiolian Manchester City system, dynamic superiorities are created through forward movement rather than backwards movement, which requires movement away, rather than towards the ball.
This should be caveated with the understanding these are principles and models, and do not represent a microcosmic analysis of best decision in every given moment, nor are they intended to. Principles are powerful because they simplify the decision making process – they create heuristics which are intended to generate better outcomes on average if followed and applied to complex situations. Positional play terms like my favourite, ‘the quicker the ball goes forward, the quicker it comes back’, axiomatically presuppose an understanding that it is a heuristic, or something which seeks to aphorise common patterns and explain a correlative and somewhat causal link. They are related for x reasons (ball being moved forward quicker = more transitional game with less time for stucture), but within that there is an understanding of outliers, and the relationship being more multivariable, than say forward progression speed. Nevertheless, the point is to hold resonance through encapsulating the essence behind the sentiment. Remember and apply x principle generally and things will be on net positive.
Back to Bernardo. Last season, he typically performed the role of the dropping 8 in a 4-1-5 to 4-2-4 system, which essentailly is a vertical role to provide additional support in build-up against high pressure, while also being granted freedom to push forward and underlap to support the winger. Therefore, he still rarely moved out of his allotted vertical zone in middle phases, and usually only went wide for example for schematic reasons such as the underlap to create space for a central dribble from the left winger. His ability in tight spaces and to receive under almost any conditions to hold the ball and recycle made him valuable in this regard, as he had to be as comfortable 1v1 on the wing as he was receiving and turning back to goal. This required knowledge of when to drop and support versus maintaining a higher position, but could generally be reduced to does the full back need deeper ball-sided support, which generally can be reduced to, was the opposition pressing high, or is the space to transition in wider areas open.
However, against Aston Villa he performed the role, coined to the best of my knowledge by Jon Mackenzie, of the ‘everted CM’ which emphasis the possession role played by the player, contrasted to inverted fullback. Typically it is a far more central role than the common inverted fullback which can refer to slightly higher and tucked in fullbacks, or fullbacks who occasionally upon triggers in a match move directly into midfield. The ‘everted CM’ is more structural than triggered, being in the double pivot for most phases, but dropping back into a full back zone following, or during an oppositions transition.
The reason I think Bernardo is entrusted with this role is because he has the capacity to handle the complexity required to make contextually adaptive decisions which are more (often) difficult than reducing to principles. While not detached from abstract principles, they are more internally embodied than mechanistically followed. This relates to his dispositional, almost pathological desire to keep the ball (stability is the ball) which combined with his tight dribbling skillset makes him ideal for a flexible build-up role.
Freedom is generally granted to those capable of harnessing it in a very abstract manner, which judging from Pep’s use of ‘free’ players comes down to the ability to dribble well in tight spaces and have a ball retention first mentality. Bernardo will constantly seek to keep the ball in motion, keep it and thus, the potential transitional liability created by additional fluidity is nullified as progression is better ensured. His playstyle is not universalisable insofar as other players need to accept the greater corresponding risk burden (the use of the term burden should suggest that I too, am encumbered by a similar mentality) but his skillset is universally applicable and useful for the provision of a +1 across the pitch. This is why I don’t think we should take Pep as being too facetious when suggesting playing Foden left back (everted CM), because is the only other player who fits this description, albeit to a lesser extent, with more worries. About an 80% chance he’s joking.
The crucial difference between his role last season, and the one seen at Villa from an abstract perspective is that the freedom granted was horizontal, rather than vertical. I will attempt to analyse and codify something which I just previously argued was more illegible because of the faith placed in Bernardo by Pep.
In practical terms, the role played by a double pivot player in a 3-2-5 is largely ball recycling and space creation in deeper phases for either the interiors to receive or the centre backs to widen and strengthen their connection to the winger to facilitate a more fluid transition. In this regard, Bernardo doesn’t really deviate from norms. Like Rico Lewis, he is a high touch, press resistant, simple player comfortable in tight spaces which is ideal for ball circulation.
However, when playing through opposition pressure, being able to carry the momentum of a dribble allows for more dynamic space occupation conductive to progression when the player is a capable receiver. The downsides of this style (more spaces open for transitions if possession is lost) which requires more ball hungry movement is nullified by Bernardo’s tight control in any circumstance, and the more static presence of Rodri, whose languidness juxtaposes Bernardo’s energy.
Compared to say, Rico Lewis, Bernardo provides more flexibility because of his technical security when dribbling, rather than looking to constantly bounce, he can dynamically move into space and find solutions, which makes playing through pressure easier and means City less frequently have to move backwards towards Ederson. I think this has been an issue, as the back three against forward pressure provides less security because it is easier to compactly press, as the back line is not fully occupied, as it is in a four, which has led to City being pushed back to Ederson frequently this season. Bernardo’s willingness and capacity to hold the ball makes him valuable in preventing forced passes backwards which the shape is less suited to.
I think this aspect in deep build is the crucial reason behind his positioning as the everted CM, as he picked up possession deep frequently last season to build play forward from Ederson. In a 3-2-5, his natural position seems to be that of the interiour or potentially the right winger, but both of those are detached from deeper build-up. Contrastingly, in the 2-3-5, he could come deeper to support as the interiour without clogging up deep central space and form a 4-2-4. As mentioned, City have had issues building from Ederson against systematically encroaching mid-to-high presses this season, but with Bernardo central, the centre backs can more safely widen while he fills in centrally, which not only dismarks due to the dynamic movement, but places their best tight dribbler in the most dangerous transitional space, thus alleviating the associated danger, while also making him an exit route for the ball is played to the left.
There are also aspects where positional intelligence and spatial awareness is crucial as he is playing the more mobile role in the pivot, which requires contextual adaptation – the strikers were sluggish in closing distances to the centre; therefore, you move wider to make it impossible for the wide forward to cover both angles opening the central pass. I would say Bernardo’s follows pressure.
Defensively, outside of counterpressing is perhaps where Bernardo’s becomes more suspect as he frequently needs to fill in centrally because the pressing angles to the wider forward are better suited to the wider centre back stepping up with forward momentum and a wider base position. The role is more complex than full back out of possession, because the base transitional stucture makes that more awkward to achieve when the ball is motion as it biases in-to-out movements defensively. There is too much space to track back into for Bernardo in wide regions in transitions, therefore, when Laporte covers, he needs to drop. This could be an issue.
Overall, I think the reason Pep has opted to play Bernardo as the everted CM pertains to evading pressure and providing additional stability when progressing from the back. His dribbling adds an additional degree of security and dynamism while playing out, while his receptive adaptability makes him ideal for a more flexible, ‘following pressure’ role often needed against the narrow presses the 3-2 shape encourages. His presence reduces the likelihood of play being circulated to Ederson, who has no choice but to make a very risky pass of go long as the opponent gradually encroaches. His technical security and positional intelligence provides calmness to what has become a more dynamic City side which requires more movement towards the ball to provide support as they are frequently building with 1 fewer player and less width in deeper regions when contrasted to last season. Rico Lewis is a high touch, safe player, but he currently lacks the unparalleled security and ball retention abilities of Bernardo, in addition to Bernardo’s dribbling often acting as a catalyst for progressions, compared to Rico Lewis, more inclined to bounce, which baits the encroaching press which creates separation between CB and Winger that City have struggled against this season. Bernardo in essence provides more stability to a dynamic system, through his technical security and risk-averse disposition which embraces more transitional moments. He thrives both in, and killing when correctly, the transition.
City are different this season, I think due to the presence of Haaland which has required wholesale adaptions to the way they play, which they have seemingly committed too following the sale of João Cancelo. This team needs more dynamic movement at the back to provide +1’s near the ball, as the false 9 is no longer present, while the space to play in is often more compact as the wingers have fewer connections to constantly act as a pitch stretching player. Bernardo provides that dynamism deep, and the one of the only way to fit him in, while playing a back 4 defensively, is to use the everted CM. The alternative is perhaps Rodri dropping in, but that too requires a lot of horizontal movement from transition to consolidated, but is maybe more defensively robust, although you’re losing a very strong defensive midfield presence which could have worse outcomes than Bernardo sometimes having to fill in CB.