It is indicative of how City have evolved as a team when the hat trick hero has plenty of serious competition for the man of the match award. Whereas last season the criticism often levelled at City was that we were over reliant on one man (Carlos Tevez), the displays this season have been a marvel of cohesion and collective brilliance. Despite scoring three coolly taken goals and coming close on a couple of other occasions, it was still possible to look past Sergio Aguero and surrender oneself to the majesty of David Silva.
I find it very difficult not to get carried away with my admiration for the wee Spaniard but, despite the improbability of him being able to improve on last season, he seems to have come back stronger, more confident, and almost irrepressible. Seeing him leap through the small crowd of Wigan players to set up the third goal or his balletic twist and turn on the ball in the first half that saw him skip away from three or four defenders, it didn't seem like stopping him could possibly be an option yesterday. Judging by the penalty he won, he even seems to have fewer scruples about putting his body on the line for the team.
It has been a familiar refrain over many years that the team had never replaced the Ali Benarbia figure - someone capable of dictating the pace of a match whilst creating the magic necessary to win the game. In the ever-improving David Silva, that search is over. His performance yesterday was sensational - setting up two goals and playing a part in the other, he moved with the assurance of someone who has found his home in the English game. For a City fan, it was a joy to watch.
The Barcelona parallels are being played up or down depending on the hysteria of who you are speaking to, but with the prospect of having Silva, Nasri and Aguero all playing off one another, the spectacles to come promise to be very mouthwatering indeed.
at 33 yrs old, i said to my pal yesterday - the best "footballer" I have ever seen in a blue shirt bar none. Bernarbia was awesome but at a level below.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to blog land ,you have been missed because most of your colleagues have become "Twitters"
ReplyDeleteNot a Man City fan but i follow them much more since they bought Silva, and now with another favourite player of mine with them in Aguero i'm silently rooting for them in the EPL. To think some experts were of the opinion that Silva will struggle to cope or handle the "pace" and "power" of the EPL. What a mockery he's made of that. He is quite easily the best midfielder by far in the EPL, and he can't even get a spot in the spanish side. Barca to win CL again this year, if you think Silva is brilliant which he is, what does that make Xavi & Iniesta?
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