David Silva

[gordondaviesmoustache]

It's amazing how much confidence we can get from seeing us turn up and play to our capabilities. I'd have written Wednesday off before yesterday but knowing how well this team can play when fully focused and at near full strength means there's always a chance.

I've got a good feeling about Wednesday fwiw (absolutely fuck all!)

 

[Phil1]

I've got a good feeling about Wednesday fwiw (absolutely fuck all!)

Just to have a good feeling is an improvement on how it's been recently.

 

[OB1]

I must have missed all this 'legwork' that KDB has put in this year. I've seen top quality deliveries from set pieces and I've seen some great crosses, magical assists and sublime finishes. The 'legwork' part though, I'm not so sure.

I think you will find that KDB's distance covered stats are among the best in the team: he runs 0.7km more than Dave per game. That doesn't prove he will adapt better to the work rate that Pep will want but it certainly does not indicate he won't. KDB is also younger and may have more in the tank.

The bottom line is that a lot of players will be asked testing questions by Pep's approach but we don't know how far Pep will adjust what he does to suit his new environment. We do know that the norm has been high levels of commitment and discipline, including positional discipline, so Dave is likely to have to adapt in a number of ways. Therefore, I don't think it is unreasonable to question whether Silva will adapt and prosper under Pep; what would be wrong, IMO, would be to think you know the answer. I'm very much 50:50 in terms of opinion on Dave and Yaya about whether they will stay / Pep will wan them. Both though remain ubder contract so if they choose to stay, I trust Pep will give them their chance and they will do what he demands.

 

[balotelli's back pocket]

Hart
Zaba Kompany Laporte Willems
Pogba Gundogan Silva
Kdb Aguero Sterling

 

[Phil1]

I think you will find that KDB's distance covered stats are among the best in the team: he runs 0.7km more than Dave per game. That doesn't prove he will adapt better to the work rate that Pep will want but it certainly does not indicate he won't. KDB is also younger and may have more in the tank.

The bottom line is that a lot of players will be asked testing questions by Pep's approach but we don't know how far Pep will adjust what he does to suit his new environment. We do know that the norm has been high levels of commitment and discipline, including positional discipline, so Dave is likely to have to adapt in a number of ways. Therefore, I don't think it is unreasonable to question whether Silva will adapt and prosper under Pep; what would be wrong, IMO, would be to think you know the answer. I'm very much 50:50 in terms of opinion on Dave and Yaya about whether they will stay / Pep will wan them. Both though remain ubder contract so if they choose to stay, I trust Pep will give them their chance and they will do what he demands.

I knew if anyone had the numbers it would be you! :-)
There's nothing wrong with any of what you've said.

 

[Benarbia]

He played well today because the burden of creativity was split. When it's just him he has struggled his season

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

Granted, the two players you mention are more prolific goalscorers than Silva. That oversimplifies things hugely though.

Silva has a reputation is Spain for going into his shell when things things aren't going well. That remains his one weakness, and probably explains why he doesn't get as many goals as he should.
That's not to say that I don't rate him, or think that he's finished.

 

[Jack74]

no one can touch the one and only....

There was a better goal in that game , it was scored in first minute

 

[fatbloke]

Silva is one of the best players in world football. There's very few players who can come to play football in this country without any real pace or physical power and influence and dominate games like Merlin can, the only two I can think of recently are Bergkamp and Zola. Combine that with winning every domestic trophy and every international trophy you can possibly win and I think it shows just how good the little fella is. When he eventually retires or goes to play back home I don't think there's a genuine football fan in this country (rag and scouse scum excluded) who wouldn't give him a standing ovation in a similar fashion to what we did when Zola was leaving.

At 30 with his slight build and a game based on anything but explosiveness I don't think he's anywhere near finished yet, injury permitting.

 

[BillyShears]

I think you will find that KDB's distance covered stats are among the best in the team: he runs 0.7km more than Dave per game. That doesn't prove he will adapt better to the work rate that Pep will want but it certainly does not indicate he won't. KDB is also younger and may have more in the tank.

The bottom line is that a lot of players will be asked testing questions by Pep's approach but we don't know how far Pep will adjust what he does to suit his new environment. We do know that the norm has been high levels of commitment and discipline, including positional discipline, so Dave is likely to have to adapt in a number of ways. Therefore, I don't think it is unreasonable to question whether Silva will adapt and prosper under Pep; what would be wrong, IMO, would be to think you know the answer. I'm very much 50:50 in terms of opinion on Dave and Yaya about whether they will stay / Pep will wan them. Both though remain ubder contract so if they choose to stay, I trust Pep will give them their chance and they will do what he demands.

There's a quote that Soriano made recently about Pep liking a small squad with "established hierarchies". I think that's a very telling comment and will go some way to answering whether we'll keep a lot of the big names around as their star wanes a little.

 

[OB1]

There's a quote that Soriano made recently about Pep liking a small squad with "established hierarchies". I think that's a very telling comment and will go some way to answering whether we'll keep a lot of the big names around as their star wanes a little.

He does like a small squad, apparently so he does not have to deal with leaving people out of the matchday squad. However, the demands of the English game (more competitions, no winter break) may require him to tackle the downsides of a larger squad than he would like; unless he does things like playing the kids in the League Cup.

 

[Walking on the blue moon]

Silva has a reputation is Spain for going into his shell when things things aren't going well. That remains his one weakness, and probably explains why he doesn't get as many goals as he should.
That's not to say that I don't rate him, or think that he's finished.

He was also lauded as the player with "the biggest balls" in the entire Spanish squad. Don't think he goes into his shell when things go poorly (e.g. the Liverpool game in 13/14, and against Italy in 2008 Euros; played ok in the disaster against the Netherlands 2 years ago, though his miss in an one-on-one had been quite incriminating for some fans ), but his lack of goals, particularly important goals, can certainly give that impression.

Not that it was much of a problem for me though. I've become accustomed to this for so many years that it has grown to be quite an endearing weakness to me. Probably not very shrewd but my favourite players have always been midfielders who pass well but do not score a lot of goals.

 

[malg]

He was also lauded as the player with "the biggest balls" in the entire Spanish squad. Don't think he goes into his shell when things go poorly (e.g. the Liverpool game in 13/14, and against Italy in 2008 Euros; played ok in the disaster against the Netherlands 2 years ago, though his miss in an one-on-one had been quite incriminating for some fans ), but his lack of goals, particularly important goals, can certainly give that impression.

Not that it was much of a problem for me though. I've become accustomed to this for so many years that it has grown to be quite an endearing weakness to me. Probably not very shrewd but my favourite players have always been midfielders who pass well but do not score a lot of goals.

Goals aren't part of his game. That's just the way of things. He has a shit shot. However, he has sublime passing skills. It just appears that a lot of people want everyone e to be the perfect midfielder - can create out of nothing, can score goals, can take a great free kick, can take perfect corners, can track back (all the time), can head a ball etc, etc. Oh, and can give 100% of this in every single game, and recover from a mid week game in Russia to play on a Saturday or a Sunday. Not much to ask!

 

[Walking on the blue moon]

Goals aren't part of his game. That's just the way of things. He has a shit shot. However, he has sublime passing skills. It just appears that a lot of people want everyone e to be the perfect midfielder - can create out of nothing, can score goals, can take a great free kick, can take perfect corners, can track back (all the time), can head a ball etc, etc. Oh, and can give 100% of this in every single game, and recover from a mid week game in Russia to play on a Saturday or a Sunday. Not much to ask!

Definitely not too much to ask! They earn more than 100k per week afterall!;)

 

[OB1]

Goals aren't part of his game. That's just the way of things. He has a shit shot. However, he has sublime passing skills. It just appears that a lot of people want everyone e to be the perfect midfielder - can create out of nothing, can score goals, can take a great free kick, can take perfect corners, can track back (all the time), can head a ball etc, etc. Oh, and can give 100% of this in every single game, and recover from a mid week game in Russia to play on a Saturday or a Sunday. Not much to ask!

That is a problem on this forum, it's why the most complete player many will ever see play for City gets regulalry hung out to dry.

That said, there is almost always scope for players to improve or frustrations caused because players appear to have the ability to achieve more. I don't agree that Silva has a shit shot and I do believe that, with his level of technical ability, he should score more but you can't have everything.

 

[Neville Kneville]

He does like a small squad, apparently so he does not have to deal with leaving people out of the matchday squad. However, the demands of the English game (more competitions, no winter break) may require him to tackle the downsides of a larger squad than he would like; unless he does things like playing the kids in the League Cup.

I don't understand this 'small squad' stuff re Pep.

Small squad of 'favourites' perhaps but he seems to me to have used absolutely loads of players.

If it refers to using less 'senior' players, perhaps using kids as cover for a position over the season rather than using a Kolarov or a Navas then calling that a 'small squad' then it makes more sense.

But 2010 for instance he used about 30 players just in league games alone.

 

[City_Sean]

There's a quote that Soriano made recently about Pep liking a small squad with "established hierarchies". I think that's a very telling comment and will go some way to answering whether we'll keep a lot of the big names around as their star wanes a little.

I'm sure I read he'd rather a squad of 15-16 players whom he trusts. I think there's going to be some high profile departures this summer.

 

[OB1]

I don't understand this 'small squad' stuff re Pep.

Small squad of 'favourites' perhaps but he seems to me to have used absolutely loads of players.

If it refers to using less 'senior' players, perhaps using kids as cover for a position over the season rather than using a Kolarov or a Navas then calling that a 'small squad' then it makes more sense.

But 2010 for instance he used about 30 players just in league games alone.

He has used less than 20 players on a regular basis this season. I am sure it is about senior players rather than about how many "kids" get a game but it is a point that is made in the book Pep Confidential, which is based on considerable access to the man himself so I assume it is not without foundation. The stories about Pep and Zlatan do suggest that one of Pep's faults is not wanting to deal with confrontation and trying to avoid having to disappoint players by leaving them out of the match day squad.

 

[Neville Kneville]

He has used less than 20 players on a regular basis this season. I am sure it is about senior players rather than about how many "kids" get a game but it is a point that is made in the book Pep Confidential, which is based on considerable access to the man himself so I assume it is not without foundation. The stories about Pep and Zlatan do suggest that one of Pep's faults is not wanting to deal with confrontation and trying to avoid having to disappoint players by leaving them out of the match day squad.

No, I understand it seems to be part of the Pep 'gospel' but when you look at his squad selections it doesn't seem any different to anyone else from what I can see. If he has a big squad to choose from, it seems to me, he uses them.

 

[kiam06]

Hate to say it but I agree I think the PL has caught up with him and we are now carrying him albeit he has spent many years carrying is so ill never have a bad word.

Class act and I feel privileged to have watched him at City but the time has come to say goodbye and let Pep work his magic.