by PrezIke » Wed Mar 16, 2016 5:29 pm
Regardless of the rumours, I've really been thinking that despite many of our fans love for Silva or Aguero over Yaya that our decline the past two seasons can be directly linked to the decline of him as he was when at his best.
This has led me to consider that he has been our most important player of the era, as you can see how inept we seem to be without him, or him operating as he is capable of. He is the ignition key to our attacking engine that no matter how amazing Silva is with the ball, or with his movement, does not seem to quite hold the same weight on the pitch.
Sergio, as essential as he has been to scoring goals for us in key games -- although so has Yaya -- does not have the same impact if we can't get him the ball in areas he can be successful. Silva is capable of this, but we can't even seem to get him going when players collapse on him in threes, especially due to his lack of strength. Yaya, on the other hand, has immense strength, so when combined with incredible ball control, touch and vision makes him so difficult to get the ball from, yet still be able to create something out of nothing. His cross-like passes to switch play to the other side with their curve and precision are also unique.
He has deserved criticism for not seeming to be "in the mood," as well as his public statements that have irked our fans. However, I think for all of the criticism that he has received these past two seasons, it is clear to me that we increasingly seem like a lost ship in attack when he isn't there, or able to do things with consistency -- like those blistering runs we got glimpses of last night -- as he declines.
I thought he was MOTM yesterday against Kiev, especially in the first half when the rest of the team seemed heavily bothered by Vinny's injury. He has actually had some key goals and performances for us this season despite being so inconsistent and frustrating.
We will miss him, and we need to find a suitable replacement this summer of we are in trouble.
Last edited by
PrezIke on Wed Mar 16, 2016 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.