Bernardo Silva heaps praise on Manchester City’s “outstanding” new centre-back pairing | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City now have an “outstanding” new defensive partnership on hand despite recent long-term injury concerns.

The emergence of new faces at the heart of City’s defence has come at a time when Guardiola and his coaching staff have been forced to navigate serious fitness issues to senior defensive options and squad rotation.

With stability often hard to find during the congested winter schedule, the performances of younger and less-established players have taken on extra significance, and City’s defensive structure has been highly-praised following a run of high-intensity fixtures across domestic and European competitions.

Maintaining composure at the back has been vital too, especially in hostile away environments where momentum can swing rapidly, and the latest clean sheet offered a timely reminder of the squad’s depth and adaptability.

That sense of resilience was on full display at St James’ Park – a venue that regularly poses problems for many sides. Newcastle’s intensity, physicality, and crowd atmosphere make it a notoriously difficult place to protect a lead – which only added weight to the composure shown by City’s back line.

Speaking to television broadcasters off the back of a crucial clean sheet in a 0-2 away win at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg, Bernardo Silva described City’s starting defensive pairing as “outstanding”.

“[Abdukodir] Khus and Max [Alleyne], the last games they were outstanding; the personality, the character that they showed – it’s not easy,” said the Portuguese international and club captain.

“It’s not easy to come into this team with the pressure that you have at this level, and to perform, to have the courage to play from the back, to be consistent, to be solid,” he continued.

“And once again, in a very tough stadium, we know how difficult it is to play here, they were very good!

“Same with [Antoine] Semenyo, they were really good, [James] Trafford as well – he made some very good saves and he was fantastic for us today.”

Manchester City’s defensive solidity was complemented by decisive moments at the other end of the pitch as Antoine Semenyo continued his electric start to life in sky blue with a composed opener, while Rayan Cherki’s late strike gave Pep Guardiola’s side a commanding advantage to take back to the Etihad Stadium next month.

What stood out most was the calmness shown by Khusanov and Alleyne under sustained pressure. Newcastle struck the woodwork twice in the first half and threatened early, yet City’s new central pairing remained disciplined in their positioning and confident in possession.

Bernardo Silva’s comments could signal growing trust from senior players in what could shape up to be a long-term partnership, and with injuries disrupting City’s defensive options, the emergence of a reliable new pairing offers Pep Guardiola valuable flexibility.