Silva is City's most important player
David Silva spent most of his debut for Manchester City being buffeted about the pitch by Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone on the opening day of the season. Then it seemed like City's big summer signing was not made for English football, where praise from pundits generally centres on a player's pace, power and drive, rather than his vision or ball skills. We routinely hear Premier League tub-thumpers prattling on about how they would like to see how Lionel Messi would fare against Stoke City, an argument with more holes in it than West Ham's defence.
This is not something to be proud of and it is, of course, why English players struggle at international level, where possession is key, but in the Premier League, a small, skilful player is often viewed as a wanton luxury and Silva must have wondered what he had let himself in for as 21 headless chickens charged around him while he struggled to dictate play.
Since then his rapid rise has been remarkable. If Carlos Tevez has been portrayed as City's heart, then Silva is the brains. Tevez was missing through suspension against West Ham – and may be on his way out of Eastlands for good – but City did not suffer in his absence. Much was made before the game of City's inability to win without Tevez, but Silva would be a bigger loss. Indeed, if he maintains this level of performance, Roberto Mancini might not be too disappointed to see Tevez go. While it is true to say Tevez is City's captain, it is Silva who is their leader.
He was a delight to watch, constantly on the ball, teasing his opponents with his soft, shuffling footwork, keeping City ticking over with the intelligent economy of his movement. He looks like a small woodland creature and plays with the impish mischievous glint of one too. Everything went through Silva. He is the thinking man's footballer. His assist for Adam Johnson's goal, an impossibly brilliant through-ball, was outstanding and something no other player on the pitch could have done. Silva's work has largely gone unnoticed outside of Manchester, but judging by the way he spent the afternoon quietly winning a game of hide-and-seek with Scott Parker, one imagines that's just the way he likes it.
