Bernardo Silva benched as Portugal reshuffle exposes enduring problem at World Cup | OneFootball

Bernardo Silva, newly signed by Real Madrid, started on the bench as Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0, a fresh reminder of his stuttering international influence.

According to L'Équipe, over his past four outings he was restricted to a half, then only around 20 minutes against Uzbekistan as Roberto Martinez looked to protect Joao Neves. The demotion reflected both the squad hierarchy and his recent output.

After a flat attacking display in the 1-1 opener against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Martinez was unlikely to drop Cristiano Ronaldo and values the direct threat of Pedro Neto. With Portugal prone to sterile possession, Silva became the simplest change ahead of CR7 and Bruno Fernandes in the triangle with Neves and Vitinha.

At Manchester City he took the armband last season and moved centrally under Pep Guardiola, dictating tempo with subtle body cues. Former Benfica coach Pedro Torrado has long highlighted his game-reading and agility, qualities rebuilt after a mid-teen plateau.

Used wide against the DRC, a role less suited at 31, he had 25 touches, none in the box. He registered no shot or cross, linked once with Bruno Fernandes, and most often found Vitinha with five passes. Neves’s hybrid role further narrows his space, though not entirely.

His build-up also featured a farewell to City alongside Guardiola and the completion of his Real move, where he should carry similar duties under José Mourinho, a tactical contrast to the Catalan.

In the Seleçao he remains respected without club-level sway. After missing Euro 2016 with a thigh injury he became a mainstay under Fernando Santos and then Martinez, yet across his previous four finals he supplied no assists and scored once, on 22 June 2024 against Türkiye in Dortmund, 3-0.

Source: L'Équipe