Why David Silva Could Excel in No. 10 Role for Manchester City vs. Arsenal

It’s been pretty much a staple of Manuel Pellegrini’s time as Manchester City manager: two strikers in a fluid 4-2-2-2 system. However, when injuries to Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic, and a dramatic loss of form from the now-departed Alvaro Negredo, affected his squad late last season, the Chilean made a subtle alteration to his system, employing just one out-and-out striker with a No. 10 in behind.

It worked and brought new options to City’s play. David Silva, the club’s most important attacking player, was moved to a more central role closer to the striker and flourished, producing man-of-the-match performances at Hull City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, amongst others, in a run in that saw City overhaul the Merseysiders and win the Premier League title.

Few could disagree that Silva was key to that success. His assuredness in possession is his most remarkable asset, and everything goes through him when City go forward. When he’s out on the left he has to drift inside and look for the ball, whereas in the No. 10 role he sees more of it in the most dangerous areas.

In the hole between the midfield and the back four is where he can do the most damage. Give Silva the ball and he will rarely lose it, picking passes and through balls to City’s other forward players or simply loaning it to someone close by before losing his man and asking for it back.

He sees things on the pitch others don’t, and it’s obvious the other players in City’s side look to give him the ball as often as possible, safe in the knowledge he’ll produce something magical or, at the very least, keep possession for his side, waiting until the right moment to strike a more significant blow.

With Negredo now at Valencia and Jovetic, once again, suffering an injury, as reported by Jack De Menezes in The Independent, there’s a chance City could revert to playing Silva in a withdrawn striker role for this weekend’s crucial trip to the Emirates to play Arsenal. It’s an exciting prospect for those who enjoy seeing the Spaniard at his best.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Now that the reprehensible Luis Suarez has left English football for Barcelona, Silva, it’s quite clear, is the Premier League’s best player. Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao may begin to challenge his supremacy once they settle into life at Old Trafford, but for now, Silva stands out.

In last season’s 1-1 draw at Arsenal, he was outstanding despite a lacklustre showing from some of his teammates. City dominated the first half thanks largely to his ingenuity and creativity in possession but were undone in the second. With Bayern Munich and Chelsea following quickly after this game, a positive result in Saturday’s early kick-off becomes even more important.

Pellegrini could perhaps start with Silva on the left, with Aguero and Edin Dzeko upfront, sticking with the 4-2-2-2 he appears to favour. However, his penchant for having a striker on the bench to bring on if a game isn’t going his way means he may swing towards Silva in the hole. Jesus Navas would likely come in on the right, with Samir Nasri, who has been superb so far this season, switching to the left.

Arsenal will be buoyed by the signing of Danny Welbeck, who scored two goals for England in Switzerland this week and can replace the injured Olivier Giroud. The former United man has a somewhat questionable goal record, but Arsene Wenger has always enjoyed the challenge of polishing a rough diamond, and Welbeck is exactly that. He should now get chances to play as a centre-forward more often and, if he does, it’s likely Arsenal will look back on the £16 million they spent on him as a bargain.

Shackling Silva will be Arsenal’s biggest concern, though, and doing that is always far more difficult if he starts as a No. 10.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here: @RobPollard_