A Complete Analysis of David Silva for Manchester City vs. David Silva for Spain

The takeover of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi United group (ADUG) in 2008 has completely changed the club. Years of comical underachievement have been replaced by something close to domestic dominance. Over the past four seasons, City have been by far the most consistent Premier League team, winning two titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup.

The quality of their squad was improved rapidly and significantly thanks to heavy investment. It’s been one of the most interesting stories in modern football, one that has changed the landscape of the English game.

There has been much debate over which player signed since the takeover has been the best and most important.

Yaya Toure is a unique midfielder whose blend of pace, power and passing brilliance makes him so difficult to contain. He’s been absolutely key to City’s recent success, dominating games from midfield and scoring a number of vital goals along the way. His place in the pantheon of City greats is now absolutely secure.

Sergio Aguero’s quality in front of goals makes him another contender, a player with an unerring ability to find the back of the net when given just half a chance. The accuracy of his finishing is breathtaking, and 98 goals in 153 games in a City shirt tells its own story.

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However, for many, it’s the mercurial talent of David Silva that tops anything ADUG’s money has brought to the Etihad. The Spanish playmaker has been a consistent beacon of class since his 2010 arrival, the creative hub around which so many of City’s best attacking moments are built. Very few see the game with such clarity.

He’s the orchestrator when City go forward. Everything goes through him. Watch City closely and it becomes obvious fairly quickly that Silva is the man the other players look for when in possession.

Give it to Silva and something will happen. Either he’ll drop a shoulder and drift past a defender, or he’ll hold on to the ball while others advance before picking a seemingly impossible pass. He’s an artist, and it’s a pleasure to watch him at work.

The tempo is very often dictated by Silva. If Aguero decides by how may City win by, it is Silva who decides whether they win at all.

He’s also had a hugely successful international career. Twice a European Championships winner and a World Cup winner in 2010, he’s been very much a part of one of the most talented squads in the history of the game.

Although, unlike at City, Silva isn’t the star of the show for Spain. Xavi and Andres Iniesta have so often overshadowed him, with the Barcelona pair for so long seen as much more important than the former Valencia man.

But with Xavi’s international retirement and Iniesta’s dip in form over the past 12 months, Silva will now be expected to assume more responsibility. Whereas in the past he hasn’t been seen as a leader for his country, he will now need to be at his most influential, like he is at City.

If he can’t transfer that level of leadership to the international stage, there are a number of players capable of taking his place. Isco, for one, is a player very much in Silva’s mould, and he is more than capable of becoming a star of the Spanish side.

Silva’s role is similar for both club and country. Sometimes slightly left, often given more freedom in a central role, his remit is very much concerned with creating chances for others with his passing ability. He is rarely burdened with defensive duties, instead given licence to concentrate on going forward.

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One consistent criticism of Silva has been his lack of goals. He’s managed 11 for City this season—his career best—but 41 in 214 games in total (a goal every 5.2 matches) could surely have been better.

What’s been noticeable about his goals this season has been the predatory nature of them. Rather than curling finishes from distance, he’s shown a desire to get on the end of balls into the box, scoring a number of close-range tap-ins.

His strike-rate for his country is better. He’s managed 22 goals in 87, a goal every four games, which for a player carrying the burden of creativity, is very good.

The only real difference between his roles for City and Spain is his status. At City, he’s a leader. Maybe not vocally or in terms of being a designated captain, but in the way that he plays. There's an expectation at City that he will emerge as their most dangerous player in each game, whereas for Spain that has never really been the case.

At 29, and with his position for Spain now more prominent, he will be hoping he can reach 100 caps and increase his influence. The spectre of Xavi and Iniesta has faded, and he is now free to impact his national squad in the same way he does for City.

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. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.