Before people start lambasting me for posting a Silva(er) article, this article isnt just about him. It draws a comparision between him and Arsenal. David Silvas performance at Old Trafford on Tuesday night was one of the most magnificent displays of the Premier League season. Literally from the kick-off Man Citys Spanish playmaker took control of the game, an almost insultingly simple victory over rivals Manchester United, producing a fabulous little burst to run through the opposition defence in the build-up to Edin Dzekos first-minute opener. He then controlled the contest authoritatively from there. Taking advantage of Uniteds uncertain positional shape -- particularly the unsuccessful 4-3-3 David Moyes selected from the start -- Silva continually found pockets of space. He rarely operated directly in the centre of the pitch between Manchester Uniteds central midfielders but always a little wider, in the channels between full-backs and central midfielders. His composure and grace in possession was something to behold -- the combination of his intelligent positioning, his appreciation of angles and his insistence on keeping the passing tempo high meant United were unable to get close. The most impressive aspect of Silvas game is the manner in which he receives the ball, most obvious in the aforementioned early dart beyond United defenders. Some players need to receive the ball, steady themselves and find their balance before looking up and passing to an opponent. Silvas grace means its simple: receive, pass. He never checks his stride to make room for a pass. Hes always on the half-turn. There’s a natural beauty about Silvas play. Once asked Tell us how you learned to play the game, he responded with a sense of confusion. Learned to play the game? You dont learn to play football. Its not like school, where someone can sit you down and teach you. The one thing missing from Silvas display at Old Trafford, the only thing preventing this from being considered the performance of the season, was a genuinely decisive piece of play. For once, Silva didnt find a penetrative through-ball to a teammate, nor did he find the net. As a neutral, you were willing him to grab a goal against United. It wasnt a case of wanting City to score, or win -- from the way they controlled the first half, the result was always set to be between 0-2 and 0-4. The outcome was already decided and in the grand scheme of things, the precise scoreline was somewhat irrelevant. You simply wanted Silva, for once, to have his name in lights. It wasnt to be, as Edin Dzeko scored the first two goals instead, and was the hero. Its Dzeko at the double, read one front page, for example. While Silvas assist statistics are not in doubt, his goal-scoring figures are always disappointing for such a talented player. Silvas role is not primarily that of a goal scorer, but even so, one goal in his last 20 games, in such an attacking side, is amazing. Theres something bizarrely endearing about Silvas shyness in front of goal, however. Its reminiscent of the way Rui Costa played in his first three seasons at Milan -- he was a consistently brilliant creator, and with Andriy Shevchenko, Pippo Inzaghi and later Kaka all banging in the goals, the Portuguese No. 10 wasnt primarily concerned with scoring. Even so, the fact he went two-and-a-half years without a league goal was alarming, and his confidence gradually dipped. This, after all, was a player who was highly efficient in front of goal at Fiorentina. At Milan he lacked that clinical edge, continuing to impress with his sheer brilliance on the ball, but rarely winning matches for the side directly. A contemporary of Rui Costa, the equally talented Spanish No. 10 Juan Carlos Valeron, is another fine comparison -- especially because Valeron and Silva grew up in the same fishing village in Gran Canaria. Valeron remembers Silvas father playing for the local side, when he first became fascinated by football. Despite being a brilliant attacking midfielder and close to the best playmaker in the world at his peak, Valeron couldnt score. He never managed more than four in a La Liga campaign and amazingly, his double for Las Palmas earlier this season was his first-ever brace in Spanish football at the age of 38. Valeron is still remembered by Arsenal supporters for his sublime European Cup display against Arsenal in 2001-02, the way he dictated the game and continually pierced the defence. Its one of the best-ever performances against an Arsene Wenger side, up there with Lionel Messi’s four-goal haul in 2010. Arsenal fans would also appreciate Silva, who is set to arrive at the Emirates on Saturday for his latest attempt at trying to find the net. The Spaniard is a classic Arsenal player, the type that Wenger has continually brought to the club over the last decade -- indeed, when City signed Silva, the player they therefore ruled out signing was Mesut Ozil, believing the two would be too similar to play together. Ozil is another player who doesnt quite convert his influence on matches into genuinely tangible contributions at the most important moments, another who should score more. Silvas shooting statistics throughout his recent goal drought are quite something: in 20 matches hes managed only nine shots on target and has never tested the opposition goalkeeper more than once in a single game. His only goal was a fabulous 25-yard curler against Hull, a beautiful goal. Hes the ultimate scorer of great goals, rather than a great goal scorer. Furthermore, Silvas style is essentially analogous to Arsenals general model. The Gunners are arty, intelligent, technically magnificent and are widely cited as an example for others to follow. But just as Silva refuses to stick the ball in the bloody goal, Arsenal refuse to convert their promise into trophies. In a way, its comforting. Its more enjoyable that both are 90 percent of the way there but keep falling at the final obstacle. If Silva suddenly became a goal scorer thered be no mystique; hed simply be a brilliant footballer. You wouldnt watch matches as a neutral and be willing him to score. If Arsenal simply triumphed repeatedly, there wouldnt be any debate about the club or Wengers methods. Silva wouldnt be Silva if he started converting 2-yard tap-ins every other game, just as Arsenal wouldnt be Arsenal if they began grinding out results and won titles in boring fashion. A sense of frustration often provides the backdrop for footballs most enjoyable storylines, and sometimes a lack of efficiency can be more interesting than sheer ruthlessness. espnfc/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/2789?cc=4716
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 03:14:20 +0000
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