How many leaders are there in the Manchester City team? None if you believe Patrice Evra, but decidedly more if you've ever watched them play with a pair of functioning eyes or ears - let alone spoken to anybody inside the dressing room about it. Pep Guardiola cheerily suggested an ulterior motive behind the ex-United player taking a shot at City when asked about it, and he could afford to laugh given the ample evidence his team have showed on countless occasions over the past five years.
City picked themselves up from their Champions League heartbreak by beating Newcastle at the weekend, but Liverpool's win over Aston Villa kept the pressure on them for a visit to a ground where they have only won once in three visits under the current manager. Just because the Blues had margin for error did not mean they wanted to give it up.
Fernandinho, in part because of an injury crisis at the back, brought his years of experience and calm influence to the team. It helps too when Kevin De Bruyne is in unplayable form. City have leaders all over the pitch though, and that was seen when they conceded the equaliser that could have made it a difficult night for them against a side that had shown they had the pace to hurt City.
Also read: Aymeric Laporte has never been more important to Man City
Stepping up when City needed a response was Bernardo Silva, the affable Portugal international who is known for always having a smile on his face and being the butt of a squad practical joke when he is not covering every inch of grass in a match or belting in a worldie. As the Blues regrouped, it was Bernardo who put his foot on the ball in the centre circle, looked back to his teammates, and gestured to them all to keep their heads up and reset.
It may have made a difference, it may not - with De Bruyne in the mood he was in, everything and everyone else felt fairly secondary. Nevertheless, here was another example of a player not hiding, and one of the squad that isn't known for their leadership qualities at all in that.
City will need even more character in their team at West Ham if Aymeric Laporte is not deemed fit to make that trip - their only fully fit centre-back being forced off in the second half after being clattered into by Raul Jimenez. It may prove a repair too far for a patched-up defence.
But if Guardiola needs to worry about how he fills the position, he can afford to spend no time thinking about the mentality of his players and even less time thinking about Evra.
Sign up to our City newsletter so you never miss an update from the Etihad Stadium this season.
