Pep Guardiola: David Silva is a mixture of Iniesta and Xavi
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on David Silva following a strong season for the Citizens, where he contributed 10 goals and 13 assists across all competitions. The Spain international had missed certain parts of the campaign owing to the ill health of his newborn son but he nevertheless managed to maintain focus to guide City to their third Premier League title.
Speaking on ESPN Brazil, Guardiola hailed the showing of the Spain international through the campaign and compared his performances with those of Xavi and Iniesta whilst he was managing Barcelona, he said: “Xavi was a player with outstanding control and dynamic, he couldn't lose the ball. He could control the game rhythm, reading perfectly when to accelerate ... Andres is similar, but always changing the pace. And David Silva is a mixture between both of them. David also knows when to control and when to accelerate.”
Meanwhile, the Catalan tactician further spoke about Kevin de Bruyne, who lost out on the PFA Player of the Year to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. The former Bayern Munich boss termed the Belgian as the ‘complete player’ with the movement being influential to his style of play, he added: “Kevin is exuberant. He is not a controller, he is more dynamic, coming from behind, finishing, crossing, appearing here, then there, defending, attacking. “He is a complete player, less control and much more movement.”
Manchester City cruised to the Premier League last season whilst breaking the record for the most points, goals scored and wins in a single campaign and Guardiola will now hoping that his side can replicate the feat which remains the tougher task. Owing to fierce competition, the top-flight title has not been defended since Manchester United in 2009 but City have the opportunity to buck this trend next season.