David Silva thriving on Manchester City pace, says Gary Neville
Monday 24 August 2015 16:11, UK
Manchester City are getting the best out of David Silva by surrounding him with pace, says Gary Neville.
Silva was named man of the match for his performance as City won 2-0 at Everton in the Premier League on Sunday thanks to goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Samir Nasri.
The Spaniard has been on superb form so far this season, and Sky Sports expert Neville was full of praise for his display at Goodison Park.
"He picked up the ball so much - he was connecting everything, like the glue that was holding everything together," he told The Gary Neville Podcast.
"He was running the game. It was so difficult for McCarthy and Barry - they were being run all over the pitch by him.
"He's now got pace all around him with Raheem Sterling, Jesus Navas, Kolarov and Sergio Aguero.
He picked up the ball so much – he was connecting everything, like the glue that was holding everything together.
"Last season, they didn't have that pace in the team - Aguero was on and off form, Sterling wasn't at the club, Navas was in and out of the team.
"When you put all that pace back in, it makes Silva's job so much easier because he can just feed that pace.
"They've got a counter attack back in them, and I have to say David Silva is an outstanding player all the time. Not just this season, but he looks much better in that No10 role, more central."
With the likes of Sterling, Fabian Delph and Nicolas Otamendi arriving at the Etihad Stadium, Pellegrini has bolstered his squad with some big summer signings.
Neville believes City have much more strength this season and it means they will be able to cope better with injuries and loss of form.
Manchester City kept their winning start intact as they beat Everton to go top.
"It's ominous," he added. "They've got strength in depth, the confidence is there, they've got power.
"They've got players to come in - Otamendi wasn't involved today, there's Gael Clichy, Fernando, they've brought on Delph and Wilfried Bony.
"They brought on Samir Nasri who scored a wonderful goal, and they've got two players in every single position.
"It's how a squad should be at this level, with the money that's spent, and it's looking good for them.
"We've seen with these City players they can be unreliable, they can go through difficult periods - particular if the likes of Kompany or Yaya Toure get injured for a period of time.
"They're still relying on their big players, but that's no different to most clubs.
"Keeping their players fit is critical, but they look motivated, and they look back to a level that they were when they won the league two seasons ago."
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