The Spaniard has lifted Manchester City to new heights in his role as creative director of Premier League leaders
After the gold rush, this was an afternoon of rather more everyday riches for Manchester City. Roberto Mancini may have at his disposal a squad gluttonously stocked with attacking talent, but, for the first half-hour of an increasingly well-grooved and convincing 3-1 defeat of Newcastle, there was a suggestion that his decision to leave David Silva on the bench might have drained some vital creative vim from the league leaders.
Picking up after the international break, there was sense at the Etihad Stadium of City feeling their way back into things, crunching around in search of the attacking gear-change that had brought eight wins out of eight and 30 goals scored, a run inspired, in large parts, by a sustained purple patch from Silva and Mario Balotelli. Here, Silva's starting place was taken by Samir Nasri for reasons of fatigue management: Silva had played nine games in 32 days up to and including Spain's defeat by England at Wembley, during which he flitted without lustre.
Nasri started on the left of midfield in a fluid 4-2-3-1 formation as, in the early stages, City seemed bent on the usual riot of interchanging attacking role play (at one point, James Milner seemed to be playing centre-forward). If Newcastle were unfazed, this was hardly surprising. Much had been made before kick-off of the collision between City's rampant attack and the most parsimonious defence in the division. The match was even billed by one news outlet as a "meeting of the two unbeatables", although it was always closer to Mancini's Invincibles versus Pardew's Improbables.
Picking up on Chris Hughton's diligent groundwork, Alan Pardew has constructed a well-organised and technically sound team, sourced largely from the French top tier. And, for a while, City's attacking fluidity did congeal a little in the face of visitors set up in a compact 4-4-1-1 formation, with Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye playing side by side in central midfield like men roped together on a mountain.
With the full-backs snapping in sharply, there was even a degree of listlessness to the home team, most evident in some slack passing by Yaya Tour�, who can charge forward with unstoppable barging force ? as he did in an advanced second-half role ? but will always struggle to unstitch a tightly bound defence.
Newcastle came close to taking the lead after the half-hour, Hatem Ben Arfa's pirouette and pass putting Demba Ba in on goal, only for Joe Hart to make a fine low save. And, in the end, City's first-half penalty came almost against the run of play, correctly given for Ryan Taylor's arms-spread block of Tour�'s shot. Balotelli dispatched the penalty with gorgeous insouciance, stopping in front of the ball, switching his feet with a dancer's shuffle and sidefooting into the corner. His arms-folded, grumpy-headmaster celebration was less an indicator of a more sombre City than a reminder that there are plenty of other stars in this City team.
And if, in Silva's absence, City lacked a spark at times, overpowering an opposition with high-pressure possession is a compelling second string. A moment's hesitation by Taylor was all it took for Micah Richards, playing a Garrincha-like outside-right role, to steal the ball and lash home a second, even as the undulating curves of the Etihad Stadium were still seething with the communal embrace of the Poznan.
The visitors had their chances ? Ben Arfa hit a post after a fine run ? but, on 70 minutes, it was finally Silva time. City's star of the season so far entered to sustained acclaim, in place of Balotelli. There is an upright, strutting authority about the Spaniard these days and it was his first touch that played in Richards for the penalty that gave City their third goal. Ben Arfa's challenge was bewilderingly clumsy, but, by now, normal service had been resumed and, with Silva in a central role, City suddenly had a creative director.
Silva's attacking brio is almost impossible to replace on recent form (and Nasri had a peripheral afternoon), but City continue to rumble forward, even in his absence.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/nov/19/manchester-city-david-silva-premier-league
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