Silva, as a footballer, is one of the best players the Prem has ever seen.
He has obvious weaknesses, such as his lack of goal threat, which prevents him from changing games as often as someone like Gerrard has done, but he has a big influence on the general flow of a game. He is a player though, that relies on those around him, to make his game work. He can't go out & win it on his own like Gerrard used to or Giggs etc or even Yaya Toure. And certainly not like Messi. He is a conductor, not a lead soloist. If the rest aren't on it, you might as well take him off. If they are on it though, he's just about the best conductor in the world.