Silva is not particularly powerful or fast. He doesn’t play as a traditional No 9 or No 10 yet he has chalked up 11 goals in 15 matches since September 2016, when World Cup qualifying began.
“Silva is our Messi,” said Vicente del Bosque, Spain’s head coach for the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship triumphs. He never doubted Silva’s quality. He did, however, harbour doubts about where to put the attacking midfielder in a sufficiently balanced setup – Del Bosque was gripped by the outdated notion that players who are not great athletes cannot defend well.
It was under Luis Aragonés that Silva emerged as a world-class player. During Euro 2008, Aragonés designed a revolutionary team: Marcos Senna as the defensive midfielder, Xavi playing as the No 10, Andrés Iniesta as the No 8 and Silva playing in the same role, doubling up in one of the most creative positions. The attack was entrusted to Fernando Torres and David Villa, strikers of different but complementary styles. The approach was a success. Silva, 22 at the time, shone and Spain went on to win their first silverware since 1964. The trophy secured in Vienna put an end to one of the strangest and longest droughts in international football and signalled the dawning of a new era dominated by Spain.
Aragonés left and Del Bosque took over, making tactical modifications. The new coach did away with one of the No 8s, choosing to sacrifice the less popular of the two in what some considered to be a political move. At the 2010 World Cup Silva – then playing for Valencia – was put on the bench and Barcelona’s Iniesta was the chosen one. The purpose of this move was defensive, to use Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso as midfield stoppers. And again it worked, with Spain beating the Netherlands in a brutal final. Silva returned to the starting lineup at Euro 2012, again brilliantly won by Spain, but it never quite healed the falling-out between coach and player.
Pep Guardiola’s arrival at the helm of Manchester City in the summer of 2016 caused a commotion among analysts and scouts of major European clubs. “Guardiola has Silva playing as an interior midfielder in a 4-3-3 setup,” explains an expert working for Chelsea who prefers to remain unnamed. “We are all astonished at Silva’s physical response. Playing on the inside he needs to cover much more ground than as the attacking midfielder. He’s doing a superb job. He has proven that he has the stamina of a long-distance runner. After running for 90 minutes he still has the mental spark to make the right decisions.”
Silva’s transformation at Manchester City coincided with Julen Lopetegui’s arrival as Spain’s coach and the start of World Cup qualifying. Lopetegui has played him as a winger, working from the sideline to the box, with freedom of movement in a unique system set up to utilise short passes. “I used to advance with the ball and dribble a lot,” said Silva, for whom the buildup to this tournament has been disrupted by the premature birth of his son Mateo. “Now I’m devoted to the passing game.” With his clinical eye for a pass, Silva is a key piece of Spain’s attacking jigsaw.
His status as Spain’s joint top scorer in qualifying is best illustrated by the leading scorers of the other favourites heading to Russia: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (15 goals), Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (11), Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani (10), Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus (seven), Germany’s Thomas Müller (five), England’s Harry Kane (five) and France’s Olivier Giroud (four).
Silva and Lionel Messi are exceptions here. The little Argentinian – top scorer for his team in qualifying with seven goals – and Silva are the only cases among that long list of leading scorers where physical attributes do not go hand-in-hand with their talent. Silva, just like Messi, pushes the boundaries: wizardry first, then goals.
The Guardian
More about: Messi
