We’ll begin with The Metro and Ewan Roberts’ excellent focus on Silva, so often absent from Ballon ‘d’Or shortlists and the PFA Team of the Year.
You don’t need to tell a City fan how good our Spanish playmaker is – he is very much appreciated at his own Club and, in fairness, but fans of many teams in England.
Yet official bodies and award shortlists continually ignore his consistent excellence and Roberts’ considered piece asks why that always seems to be the case.
He writes: “Dele Alli is more of a second striker, an incredibly direct and efficient footballer much like the Tottenham side he plays in. De Bruyne and Silva are cerebral pass-masters, the very epitome of what their manager strives for on the pitch.
“Manchester City spent big again, with Pep Guardiola continuing to reshape his side and forging a younger, more dynamic team – one that presses harder and more intensely than Silva, who will be 32 in January, is used to or indeed perhaps capable of.
“The arrival of a namesake, Bernardo Silva, felt like such a threat to his position in the side that his new-look shaved head might have constituted the football equivalent of a mid-life crisis. Yet he’s been magnificent. In pure numbers, the veteran is still showing his peers how it is done: he tops of the Premier League for both assists and chances created.
“His role has changed somewhat this season, almost pivoting with De Bruyne as the two take turns in being the more advanced
“Yet, he almost – almost – gets lost when thinking about City’s recent history. He had no vowel-screeching Sergio Aguerooooo moment, no obvious Yaya Toure-style performances where he quite literally dragged the team to the win.
“Even in a recent goals compilation posted by City, Silva’s top three strikes came against West Ham, Blackpool and Hull City. But he is still performing amazingly well, for club and country, and remains the pinnacle for the rest of the Premier League’s horde of other playmakers and No.10s to look up to.
“It also makes you wonder how good Silva, and perhaps even Barcelona, might have been had he linked up with Guardiola sooner. Despite all his achievements, he almost feels a little underrated – the pass before the assist, which he specialises in, so often goes unseen – but these evergreen performances will go a long way in reminding everyone of exactly how good he is. And how much we should cherish him while we still can.”
Read the whole piece – it’s well worth your time.
Next us, Sergio has spoken for the first time since his car accident a fortnight ago.
Having had Carlos Tevez and Pablo Zabaleta at the Club, we know Argentinians are made of stern stuff, so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised to see Kun back in training so soon.
The Daily Star also carry his quotes that he would be very happy to see his close friend Lionel Messi join him at the Etihad some day – though accepts it would be tricky.
‘I think Messi, like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, are players who are symbols of their clubs and it’s difficult for them to leave.
‘I would love to have Leo on my team, but that seems quite complicated.’
The article goes on: “Aguero is currently recovering from injury after fracturing ribs in a car crash in Amsterdam last week.
“The forward has received stick from figures in the media due to being abroad just days before a crucial clash against title-rivals Chelsea.
“But he has defended his decision.
‘When a player has a free day at Manchester City, most of the players go to London, others to Italy, some to Spain,’ he said.
‘I was lucky that I know the agent of Maluma [a Colombian singer], he invited me and I went. I had almost two days off and going to the airport was when I had that accident.’
‘Then one thinks “why did I go”, but it’s difficult to imagine that something like that could happen.
‘I still do not know if I am going to play on Saturday. Today I trained normally, but without the group.’
Finally, Gabriel Jesus has vowed to end his three-match scoring drought(!) sooner rather than later.
The Daily Star (again), report: “The Brazilian sensation has gone three games without scoring for the Blues - his worst run since he started playing for Pep Guardiola in January.
“But his two goals against Chile in Tuesday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win showed the 20-year-old is hardly struggling to find the net.
“And with Stoke in his sights on Saturday, Jesus believes he is a now much stronger player mentally.
‘I am evolving not only as a professional, but also in the head, in the mind,’ he said.
‘I am evolving more than last year, with many experiences in the national team and in Europe - this is doing me good.’
The goals will come, Gabriel. No doubt about it.
Incidentally, on the same page as the above story, I predicted in my own mind what Robbie Savage’s combined Manchester XI would be like before I even looked – namely firmly leaning towards United – and was spot-on.
It’s on the same page as the above story but has just four Blues out of 11 (Walker, Silva, Se Bruyne and Aguero) and Jose Mourinho as manager. That’s former United junior Savage, by the way!
No Stones, Otamendi, Mendy, Fernandinho, Ederson, Sane, Sterling, Jesus or Pep – it is a combined XI selection in fairness but I expected a few more Blues in there.
Ever-so-slightly picked through red tinted glasses? That’s for Savage to answer and, as they say, football is all about opinions.
