Watching Fernandino, Silva and KDB yesterday

[Project]

A few thoughts:

• KDB was quite poor yesterday
• That said, we have the edge in terms of outright destructiveness in the final third due to KDB. He has a killer instinct that the Barcelona 3 lacked, and didn’t need given the wealth of attacking options they possessed.
• However, that Barcelona midfield is the all time best at controlling games, creating space for others and linking play. We have a way to go to reach their levels, let alone start to make a dent on the trophy haul.
• The Fernandinho is better defensively than Busquets comment is wide of the mark. Busquets is the master of reading the game positionally. He doesn’t need to make many tackles - just interceptions and a quick press on the blind side of players. Fernandinho is just now starting to really understand that side of the game. But it has been Busquets bread and butter from la Masia.
• We can debate all day but the truth is that the winner is Pep. Without Pep we wouldn’t be talking about that Barcelona midfield in the way we do, or have a midfield 3 at City who could even be mentioned in the same breath as them. Silva and KDB never played central midfield before and he’s turned them into two of the most complete players in world football, winning almost 30 games in a row that they’ve started. The man is a genius

 

[malg]

To be even regarded in the same breath as those Barcelona greats our players must at the very least make a CL final, and then dominate for a couple of years. Let's see them do the same against Liverpool over two legs.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Busquets is the best in the world in his position. His positional sense and ability to resist the press is unrivalled. Yet Fernandinho is also amazing, in a different way.

I’m convinced that if Silva has played in that Barca team he would have outshone the lot of them.

And KDB walks into any team in the world.

If I could cherry pick 3 players from them all, I’d have a Busquets - Silva - KDB midfield three. But if it’s a straight choice between theirs or ours, I’d pick ours for sure.

 

[asaluttar]

Those three players we have are absolutely fantastic but prior to this season we have not even been remotely close to winning the league let alone the Champs League with those three together.

The 3 you are comparing to have won the Champs lge, World Cup, European championships playing together plus multiple leagues and Cups. Year after year, season after season.

This year they have been fantastic and an absolute joy to watch but your comparing them to guys who have won absolutely everything playing together. Were blessed to have them and just enjoy them for what they are and hopefully revisit this question in a couple of years time.

If those three had Messi playing in front of them arguably City would have won a lot more

 

[KS55]

I think the Barca trio were better, they sustained a level over so many years, winning multiple trophies. Our three are getting close, but not too many years together left. The common thread is that master of the midfield, one Pep Guardiola. Had he, and those players been together for 5 years, we would have won the CL........and we might yet do it.

 

[franksinatra]

If those three had Messi playing in front of them arguably City would have won a lot more

Undoubtedly, but the other three managed to win a world cup and euro championship without Messi. Not a slight on our three but as three they have been top notch this year but it cannot be said they were as effective in previous seasons to make it even comparable.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

I found myself marvelling at just how wonderful those three are.

I am not a great football historian, nor ardent follower of international football, so others will perhaps be able to correct me. But really, were Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi really any better than our three?

There's perhaps a mystique about the Barca trio, perhaps because they played football the like of which the world had never seen at the time, and it was Barca, not West Ham or Palace.

But taking that mystique away and being objective, surely our trio is as good as it gets? KDB is world class, and perhaps a ballon d'or contender. And Silva is playing better than KDB imo! Fernandino is a rock, and is everywhere. But very useful going forward as well. They are in a word, sublime.

They are indeed the holy trinity around which our church is based. That said, and despite laying on the 2nd goal and playing a glorious pass inside the full back to put Walker in, in the 2nd half, I thought Kev was distinctly sub-par yesterday. Sloppy with several passes and gave the ball away cheaply twice in the build up to Everton's goal. He should be POTY by a country mile of course, irrespective of the current Salah propaganda campaign.

Dave and Ferna were both majestic though yesterday

 

[OB1]

A few thoughts:

• KDB was quite poor yesterday
• That said, we have the edge in terms of outright destructiveness in the final third due to KDB. He has a killer instinct that the Barcelona 3 lacked, and didn’t need given the wealth of attacking options they possessed.
• However, that Barcelona midfield is the all time best at controlling games, creating space for others and linking play. We have a way to go to reach their levels, let alone start to make a dent on the trophy haul.
• The Fernandinho is better defensively than Busquets comment is wide of the mark. Busquets is the master of reading the game positionally. He doesn’t need to make many tackles - just interceptions and a quick press on the blind side of players. Fernandinho is just now starting to really understand that side of the game. But it has been Busquets bread and butter from la Masia.
• We can debate all day but the truth is that the winner is Pep. Without Pep we wouldn’t be talking about that Barcelona midfield in the way we do, or have a midfield 3 at City who could even be mentioned in the same breath as them. Silva and KDB never played central midfield before and he’s turned them into two of the most complete players in world football, winning almost 30 games in a row that they’ve started. The man is a genius

I struggled to get past your first point! In what way was KDB quite poor yesterday?

Do you mean a couple of his more adventurous passes didn't find their mark? Were you blinded by his double shank?

He has a wonderful assist. He made 137 passes and completed almost 93% of them. He made the most tackles of any City player. He didn't sparkle as much as Dave but he had quite a few more touches of the ball in less time on the field and played a significant part in City controlling the game.

 

[Project]

His radar wasn’t quite there yesterday. Not a dig - he has been phenomenal. But those adventurous passes he is so exquisite at just didn’t come off at all really. Most of the completed passes were second half when it was keep ball. He has the occasional game like that.

 

[OB1]

The xavi Iniesta partnership are rightly regarded as greats, but I can’t see much difference between them and Silva De Bruyne. Silva is way more talented than both of them and shows in what he has done in the national team, De Bruyne can be more direct with his passing and change transitions of play pretty quickly.

The dippers won’t have been happy watching that performance yesterday, I believe Silva not playing at Anfield was the big reason we lost that day as we didn’t keep the ball. I remember him dragging us off the deck at Anfield in 2014 for us to be undone by Coutinhos goal. Roll on Wednesday these next ten days are as big as it gets.

Silva is not way more talented than both of them. All three of those players are on a similar level.