Julian Weigl

[Shaelumstash]

Kinda, but not really. Just trying to prep folks for the future.

Did it for Yaya, 2 years ago. Now most are finally on board. I see Silva here for 1 more year at the top, and another year of being just very good, by then Isco or someone of that ilk should be clearly superior.

It's the cycle of life.

Yaya is 32, about 15 stone, plays box to box central midfield and one of his main attributes is his physicality. Old Father time is catching up with him, and it's clear he can't do the same role he did 2 or 3 years ago.

Silva has just turned 30, is about 9 stone, plays as a number 10, his main attributes are his intelligence and technique, both of which are actually improving. He was in the best form of his career 4 months ago. He's very capable of playing at a very high level well in to his late 30s. He's not shown any signs of declining physically.

There really is no comparison between the two.

Silva's form has been patchy since he came back from injury, but the amount of supposed City fans who are writing him off is appalling. He's probably the best player ever to play for the club, we should be supporting him through a tricky patch, not writing him off at the first sign of a slight dip in form.

 

[Dax777]

We need to be realistic, a constant evolution is key and in reality we haven't done it well enough so far, we should have bought better over the last couple of years and this summer we will see the consequence of it. We have a great spine but that spine will look very different by the start of the 2017/18 season.

Yep.
By that season I expect only Hart and Aguero to be relevant from our original title winning squad. And that's only assuming Aguero can shake his injury bug.

If this Pep thing is true, that should be the first season we legimately challenge for the CL.

Gone or limited backups at best: Dihno, Kompany, Zab, Kolarov, Clichy, Sagna, Nando, Yaya, Silva, Navas, Demichelis, Bony.

Thus at best, from those we have here, this is whose left.
Hart
Mangala
Otamendi
Delph
DeBryune
Sterling
Kelechi
Aguero

And this is assuming everything goes perfectly, which we know wouldn't be the case.

Of those I expect Mangala and Delph to definitely be backups. So at best, we have 6 Starters. At best. And the replacements are no where in sight yet.

 

[g180aj]

Yep.
By that season I expect only Hart and Aguero to be relevant from our original title winning squad. And that's only assuming Aguero can shake his injury bug.

If this Pep thing is true, that should be the first season we legimately challenge for the CL.

Gone or limited backups at best: Dihno, Kompany, Zab, Kolarov, Clichy, Sagna, Nando, Yaya, Silva, Navas, Demichelis, Bony.

Thus at best, from those we have here, this is whose left.
Hart
Mangala
Otamendi
Delph
DeBryune
Sterling
Kelechi
Aguero

And this is assuming everything goes perfectly, which we know wouldn't be the case.

Of those I expect Mangala and Delph to definitely be backups. So at best, we have 6 Starters. At best. And the replacements are no where in sight yet.

I personally think we will win it not just Challenge in May 2018.
Weigl, Sane, Laporte, Isco, Denayer, Piccino, Wendell, Maffeo, Angelino/Sarmiento, Brahim, Roberts and Garcia could all be potential squad members by then with a sprinkle of world class on top in a couple of positions.

 

[Dax777]

Yaya is 32, about 15 stone, plays box to box central midfield and one of his main attributes is his physicality. Old Father time is catching up with him, and it's clear he can't do the same role he did 2 or 3 years ago.

Silva has just turned 30, is about 9 stone, plays as a number 10, his main attributes are his intelligence and technique, both of which are actually improving. He was in the best form of his career 4 months ago. He's very capable of playing at a very high level well in to his late 30s. He's not shown any signs of declining physically.

There really is no comparison between the two.

Silva's form has been patchy since he came back from injury, but the amount of supposed City fans who are writing him off is appalling. He's probably the best player ever to play for the club, we should be supporting him through a tricky patch, not writing him off at the first sign of a slight dip in form.

I'm simply looking to the future mate, not writing him off. I told a few friends 3 years ago just before the season started, that Silva was better than Fabregas. They laughed out of the bar. Cox their understanding was historical. I knew what was about to unfold. Silva went on to have probably the most dominant AM year in the Prem.

This year Ozil has just surpassed Silva, as the best AM in the league and injury or not Ozil will probably stay a better player as Silva slowly declines as he rises, just like Silva rise to surpass those who were once ahead of him, others too will rise and surpass him as he ages.

It's the cycle of football. If we want to stay at or near the top, we have to roll with the cycle. Pogba over Yaya, Isco over Silva, Weigl over Dihno, Sterling over Nasri, Sane over Navas. Come 2017, there will be no question the former would all be better than the ladder. And hopefully Isco is better than Ozil then too.

That's just life. I'm not giving up on David. Just following the circle of life.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Any update on the thread topic?

 

[Shaelumstash]

I'm simply looking to the future mate, not writing him off. I told a few friends 3 years ago just before the season started, that Silva was better than Fabregas. They laughed out of the bar. Cox their understanding was historical. I knew what was about to unfold. Silva went on to have probably the most dominant AM year in the Prem.

This year Ozil has just surpassed Silva, as the best AM in the league and injury or not Ozil will probably stay a better player as Silva slowly declines as he rises, just like Silva rise to surpass those who were once ahead of him, others too will rise and surpass him as he ages.

It's the cycle of football. If we want to stay at or near the top, we have to roll with the cycle. Pogba over Yaya, Isco over Silva, Weigl over Dihno, Sterling over Nasri, Sane over Navas. Come 2017, there will be no question the former would all be better than the ladder. And hopefully Isco is better than Ozil then too.

That's just life. I'm not giving up on David. Just following the circle of life.

Mate, he's 30. It's not the circle of anything, you're writing him off when he's not even been out of his 20s a week!

Just slow down a bit, take a breath.

David Silva has played 174 games for City. I reckon I've seen 169 of them, and the best I've ever seen him play was West Brom, this season. Everton away in the league, Newcastle and Sunderland, he was unplayable. As good as Ozil is, I've never seen him reach the levels Silva did at The Hawthorns.

We played Arsenal 3 weeks ago, and Carragher and Henry said Ozil was still a level below Silva. Gary Neville said Silva was the best player in the league. Not that much has changed in the last 3 weeks, he's just still getting match sharp.

Just have some faith in him and get behind him. Don't worry about replacing him yet, certainly not next year! He's got plenty of time left. Giggs and Scholes were still The Shite's best 2 players when they were 38. They won leagues and got to Champions League finals. Silva is better than both of them, we don't need to even think about replacing him for at least 5 years.

 

[Dax777]

I personally think we will win it not just Challenge in May 2018.
Weigl, Sane, Laporte, Isco, Denayer, Piccino, Wendell, Maffeo, Angelino/Sarmiento, Brahim, Roberts and Garcia could all be potential squad members by then with a sprinkle of world class on top in a couple of positions.

I will hold off at challenge. :) i'm not as wide eyed. CL is a crapshoot. The best teams sometimes don't win, and there is no guarantee we will have the best team or win, but if we are in the mix, I'm happy.

 

[Dax777]

Mate, he's 30. It's not the circle of anything, you're writing him off when he's not even been out of his 20s a week!

Just slow down a bit, take a breath.

David Silva has played 174 games for City. I reckon I've seen 169 of them, and the best I've ever seen him play was West Brom, this season. Everton away in the league, Newcastle and Sunderland, he was unplayable. As good as Ozil is, I've never seen him reach the levels Silva did at The Hawthorns.

We played Arsenal 3 weeks ago, and Carragher and Henry said Ozil was still a level below Silva. Gary Neville said Silva was the best player in the league. Not that much has changed in the last 3 weeks, he's just still getting match sharp.

Just have some faith in him and get behind him. Don't worry about replacing him yet, certainly not next year! He's got plenty of time left. Giggs and Scholes were still The Shite's best 2 players when they were 38. They won leagues and got to Champions League finals. Silva is better than both of them, we don't need to even think about replacing him for at least 5 years.

Well, you feel free to believe what you want. I'd believe what I want.

Um not writing him off, but if you think I am. fine and Cool. Your opinion.

And Ozil is better than Silva now. Consistency counts. Whether it's injury that takes longer to heal, or him being a smidge slower than he was 2 years ago. It all adds up to the same thing. On par for this season Ozil has been superior. Nor historically, this season!

Not just a few great games, consistency and production. 16 asusts in 20 games is simply not something one can wish away. And his performance has matched too.

Silva will have great games, many more to come. And on a side note, neither Giggs nor the fake Ginger were the best players at United when they were winning trophies. But that's neither here nor there.

 

[BlueDeadHead]

Mate, he's 30. It's not the circle of anything, you're writing him off when he's not even been out of his 20s a week!

Just slow down a bit, take a breath.

David Silva has played 174 games for City. I reckon I've seen 169 of them, and the best I've ever seen him play was West Brom, this season. Everton away in the league, Newcastle and Sunderland, he was unplayable. As good as Ozil is, I've never seen him reach the levels Silva did at The Hawthorns.

We played Arsenal 3 weeks ago, and Carragher and Henry said Ozil was still a level below Silva. Gary Neville said Silva was the best player in the league. Not that much has changed in the last 3 weeks, he's just still getting match sharp.

Just have some faith in him and get behind him. Don't worry about replacing him yet, certainly not next year! He's got plenty of time left. Giggs and Scholes were still The Shite's best 2 players when they were 38. They won leagues and got to Champions League finals. Silva is better than both of them, we don't need to even think about replacing him for at least 5 years.

There is so much wrong in this statement. I will simply say god help us if we try to emulate them.

 

[ScottSinclair]

Fernandinho.

Wouldn't mind two Fernandinho's in the middle of the park tbf