The Xavi/Iniesta midfield maestro of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City

Posted Saturday, September 10, 2016 by Goal.com

Raheem Sterling may have won the Premier League’s Player of the Month trophy for August, but the most impressive player of the young season is not Sterling, Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or even Eden Hazard.

It’s David Silva of Manchester City.

In the club’s first three Premier League matches, Silva has successfully replaced Yaya Toure as the heart of Man City’s midfield. The Spanish international, under new boss Pep Guardiola, is now playing deeper in a position that resembles a hybrid of the roles performed by Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta for Guardiola at Barcelona.

One goal and one assist in his first four total appearances for City hardly make Silva stand out on paper. But the 30-year-old is one of those players that transcends traditional statistics with his skill, style and substance that is undeniable to the eyes.

At Barcelona, Guardiola had Xavi and Iniesta. At Bayern Munich, he immediately brought in Thiago Alcantara to help implement his vision of possession-based football. At Manchester City, the Spaniard did buy Ilkay Gundogan, but the German midfielder has been out injured and, frankly, is not a Xavi, Iniesta or Thiago type of player

Instead, Guardiola turned to Silva to be the midfield maestro that can constantly show to the ball, keep possession with the short back pass, make the necessary 30-yard switch pass when necessary, dribble in traffic, get forward as the attack builds and even find spaces in the opposition’s box to score goals. Silva is the technical tool Guardiola needed to import his style of football to the Premier League.

After the first month of the season, one cannot help but marvel at how quickly and naturally Silva has adapted to his new challenging and demanding role. Playing behind the front four, Silva may not get the assist or the goal, but he is seemingly involved in every Manchester City move and plays key passes that may arrive two or three touches before attempt is fired on goal.

Sterling and Sergio Aguero may deservedly draw high praise by finishing their chances and playing with confidence, but no player has been more vital to City’s strong start. The Sky Blues have won their first three Premiership matches by averaging 67 percent possession, which sound like Barcelona La Liga stats, and a great deal of that possession comes from Silva’s influence in the middle of the park.

For Guardiola, Silva is Xavi and Iniesta rolled into one heck of a talented footballer that continues to shine in a deeper role than he has ever played before. This is not to say that Silva is better or worse than the two Barcelona legends who conquered the sport with a European treble; he is somewhere in between.

The residual effect of Silva’s drop-back into the depths of the midfield is that Kevin De Bruyne now slots into his most lethal spot by playing centrally behind a striker. Normally, that striker is Sergio Aguero, though that won’t be the case for Saturday’s Manchester derby due to the Argentine’s three-match ban. That made the timing of Wilfried Bony’s loan to Stoke City all the more curious.

Though promising Nigerian starlet Kelechi Iheanacho is likely to step in, thoughts of Silva, Sterling or De Bruyne moving further forward have been floated as possibilities. The fact that Silva can play as a forward, even if he’s not an out-and-out striker, speaks to the Valencia youth product’s versatility.

After all, Silva scored twice for Spain on Monday and moved into sole possession of fifth place on Spain’s all-time scoring list. Over the international break, Silva scored four goals and recorded one assist in two games playing more as a forward than a central midfielder. The next time Silva scores for Spain, he will only trail David Villa, Raul Gonzalez and Fernando Torres.

For City, Silva sets the pace, sets the tone and adds the flair to Manchester City’s ball-dominant style of play. More than ever before, the left-footed Canary Island native is the most important and irreplaceable player in City’s team.

Thus far, Silva has played the Paul Pogba role for Manchester City, and he’s been able to do the job better than the most expensive transfer in history. Comparing the two on Saturday may not seem natural as they are two completely different types of players, but during the course of the 90 minutes at Old Trafford, their similar roles will force the comparisons.