Ben Mee praised a Manchester City player for his work rate during his side’s 4-0 demolition job of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Pep Guardiola’s men put in an excellent defensive display on Thursday night.
Some might state that City were in total control of the game and as a result, keeping a clean sheet for them was a relatively simple task.
However, one of the reasons why that was the case is because the visitors seemed determined to make life uncomfortable for the hosts at the Amex Arena with the hard yards they were covering.
Due to this trait, the Premier League champions could regain the ball and gain a territorial advantage in the contest.
Otherwise, Brighton, as they do against several teams would have had much more possession and created chance after chance.
Ben Mee says City star was “working his socks off” vs Brighton
For instance, Manuel Akanji kept the Seagulls’ attackers at bay with how well he defended in the channels, as he was described as a “Rolls-Royce of a player” by Paul Dickov after the game.
Kevin De Bruyne also showcased his willingness to press the opposition, hunting them down as one of the two most advanced pressers for City.
The same goes for Phil Foden, who also often tracked back to win the ball for his boyhood club.
In such important games in the context of title races, the least a contender can do is show that they have no plans of shying away from grafting.
The City cohort did just that against Roberto De Zerbi and Co.
Especially one of their biggest names.
That is Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, whose work rate against Brighton was lauded by Ben Mee, who also touched on his involvement in Phil Foden’s second goal of the night.
“Risk reward as we said before. They’re taking chances, that’s the way they play”, he initially said about Brighton’s approach [via BBC Sport].
“City have set a really good trap, Bernardo Silva is working his socks off. He wins the ball back and it’s a clinical finish from Foden.”
Bernardo Silva was outstanding
In our view, Ben Mee is spot on about Bernardo Silva, who was tireless in terms of his pressing for Manchester City against Brighton.
Whether it be flying into challenges or chasing down opposition players, the £43 million man was always committed defensively.
While Ben Mee raised a valid point about the defensive side of the game when it came to Bernardo Silva, he had a claim for being the standout player for Manchester City against Brighton otherwise.
Pep Guardiola seemingly gave the Portuguese attacker the license to be the free man in build-up for City.
As a result, Bernardo Silva was often seen in various roles, whether it be as a makeshift right-back, as the holding midfielder or the number eight, as he got on the ball and dismantled Brighton’s press.
The versatile midfielder’s passing and manipulation of the ball was immaculate, despite De Zerbi’s side being drilled to press him; making his showing all the more impressive.