David Silva Becoming Manchester City’s Main Man

One of manager Pep Guardiola’s predecessors at Manchester City, Stuart Pearce, recently spoke of going to see Guardiola while he was the Barcelona coach. “He gave me a great insight into how to be a good manager,” said Pearce. “As we said goodbye and walked away, he turned around and said, ‘By the way, get a Messi in your side.'”

Guardiola might not have a Lionel Messi in this Manchester City side, but he does have a David Silva. The Spanish playmaker’s form had rather tailed off last season. He was a peripheral figure who never really recovered from an autumn ankle injury in a disjointed and disappointing season under Manuel Pellegrini. When Guardiola arrived, you even wondered whether there would be much place for the 30-year-old Silva in the City side: the Catalan manager made it clear Raheem Sterling was a big part of his plans, Kevin De Bruyne was fit again, and Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane and Nolito were all signed. Plus, the Premier League has trended far in the direction of athleticism, of footballers who excel thanks to their physicality rather than necessarily their skill. Silva has always been more technical, so it was no surprise to see his prominence diminish.

In reality, while his role has been slightly adjusted, Silva has become one of the most important players in Guardiola’s City side. He has of course provided the sort of creativity that you might expect from a player of his artistic talents, but his adaptability has also been impressive. With what we’ll call Guardiola’s typically “fluid” formations, Silva could be called upon to play wide, in the No.10 role (often as one of two No.10s, or as De Bruyne puts it, a “free eight”), or a little deeper than that, poking and probing from a position we haven’t often seen him in before.

“It is true that I am playing some steps further back sometimes because I have to help in the buildup,” Silva said recently. “But Guardiola also gives me freedom to attack and be close to the rival goal and create chances, which is something that I really like. He gives me a lot of freedom and I am very happy playing in this role.

“The manager wants us to control the game, create chances in front of goal, control the rival team with the counterattacks, and be ready to neutralise that.”

Silva certainly did that in City’s 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Sunday. Mesut Ozil received plenty of criticism for his rather laissez faire performance in the opposing role, some of it a little unfair, but he perhaps suffered by comparison to Silva, who was masterful, particularly in the second half. His pass to set up Sane’s equaliser was a top-class example of his excellence, up there with the volleyed ball to set up Edin Dzeko during the 6-1 demolition of Manchester United back in 2011.

Silva is a subtle player, a neat passer and close controller who rarely tries anything absolutely outrageous or eye-catching. He’s not generally one for a sharable Vine, an increasingly valuable currency in the assessment of footballers these days. He’s a player who relies upon speed of thought rather than speed of legs.

But as quick as his mind is, it’s also steely. Perhaps the most telling difference between Silva and Ozil on Sunday was not necessarily the amount of running, or even the defence-splitting passes, but more that Silva looked like a leader, that he recognised this was an important game and stepped forward to control it. Ozil, meanwhile, faded into the background, like a man wearing the same pattern shirt as the wallpaper.

Again, it is unfair to draw too harsh a comparison between Ozil and Silva based on a game in which one played well and the other didn’t. Both men will have good and bad days. But if you were to ask which of these two players was more reliable, then you would choose Silva every time.

There’s an argument to be made that Silva is City’s most important player this season. Vincent Kompany’s fitness can’t be relied upon; Guardiola has displayed that Sergio Aguero is not indispensable; De Bruyne is obviously brilliant and probably their best player, but what he does can be replicated by others, if perhaps not quite to the same standard.

But City don’t have anyone else with Silva’s touch, nous and ability to dictate possession and move the ball at the pace required. Guardiola’s arrival has inevitably created some instability, some form of flux, so plenty of experience and skill were required to navigate the change. Silva is in the sweet spot for both: old enough to know what’s what, young enough to still be in his prime.

Far from being a casualty of Guardiola’s desire for a rapid, pressing set of forwards and midfielders, Silva could well be his key man. It’s good to have him back.