Bernardo Silva is proving Guardiola's Man City transfer decision was correct

Much was made earlier in the campaign about Manchester City’s decision not to bring in a top-class centre-forward.

The club lost Sergio Aguero in the summer and opted not to bring in a direct replacement, raising plenty of eyebrows.

Initial criticism has waned, though, as the season has progressed, especially with City now comfortably topping the Premier League, nine points clear of Liverpool - albeit having played a game more.

And even though the Blues often play without a recognised traditional centre-forward, it’s rarely slowed them down and they’ve still managed to score the joint-most goals in the Premier League alongside Liverpool (61).

A key reason for this comes down to the finishing abilities of a number of City’s key forward men who, despite not necessarily building their reputations as elite goalscorers, have been converting chances at a sublime rate this season.

Arguably the best example of this at the club right now is Bernando Silva.

The Portuguese midfielder was the star of the show again on Tuesday night, grabbing a Champions League brace for Pep Guardiola’s side in their standout 5-0 victory over Sporting.

Those strikes proved to be Silva's ninth and tenth goals of the season which is a return that’s twice the number he secured in the last campaign.

A big reason for his success this year ties in with how he’s been used at times by Guardiola. Without a traditional centre-forward, the City boss regularly lines his side up in a 4-3-3 with players like Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and of course, Silva utilised as a ‘false nine’.

It’s a role that suits Silva’s game perfectly because it allows him to still influence play as he would playing as an attacking midfielder, completing actions such as dropping into