Raheem Sterling's comments on Thursday should have been treated as a clear warning by Pep Guardiola.
Sterling managed to win nearly everything during his time in Manchester, with the Champions League being the only thing that was to elude him. From the outside looking in, it was a little hard to understand why he would make the move to Chelsea this summer.
At City there is stability, with Guardiola having built a side that is capable of challenging for the Premier League each season without fail. Chelsea, meanwhile, are also stable but in all the wrong ways.
ALSO READ: Sterling explains why he left Man City
Having secured third place at a canter, the Blues seem to be in a no-man's-land at present, struggling to bridge the gap to Liverpool and City but comfortable in the top four. These problems are nowhere near as bad as some other clubs', but still it is hard to argue that Stamford Bridge is a more tempting proposition than the Etihad for a player, except in one specific way for Sterling — game time.
The England star confirmed this in a press conference yesterday, telling the assembled journalists: "Since I was 17, I've been a regular starter, and to get to the peak time in my career, not to be playing regularly was something I wouldn't accept. My personality is to try to fight and change the scenario, but it didn't come, and that was it."
It was a fairly damning end to what has been a successful relationship between City and the England international. But Guardiola's concern now might be the butterfly effect of Sterling's comments, particularly in regard to Bernardo Silva.
Bernardo played just four games more than Sterling across the Premier and Champions Leagues last season. The Portuguese star also started on the bench against West Ham on the opening day as Guardiola opted for Ilkay Gundogan at the London Stadium.
When you sign for City you almost have to accept that you will likely not be a 'regular starter'. Only Ederson is currently able to enjoy the reassurance that he will play week in, week out when it matters. Kevin de Bruyne gets close to it, as (when fit) does Ruben Dias.
This policy of rotation wont change while Guardiola is in charge, though, because of the quality in City's squad. It is a key reason why the Blues have managed to be successful so long.
But on a personal level for Bernardo, is team success enough to keep him fully satisfied? Of course, in the press he has admitted that the club 'knows what he wants' and that if he stays he would be 'very happy', but when a team like Barcelona come calling with promises of regular football, can he say no?
At 28, Bernardo is well in the midst of his peak years and he will have likely asked Guardiola about his playing time. Unfortunately for the City boss, it is unlikely he would have been able to give an answer that would fully appease Bernardo — just as he couldn't with Sterling.
Even with Barca's current problems, a move closer to home with the promise of regular football may be just too much for Bernardo to turn down. Unfortunately for Guardiola and City he may be powerless to prevent it from happening.
READ NEXT:
