:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/33515409/480541129.0.jpg)
David Silva (27 league appearances): 8/10
It’s simple, really; David Silva’s the best player I’ve seen in a City shirt.
His nagging ankle injury aside, Silva didn't put a foot wrong this season—he’s the player who consistently provides creative spark that every top side needs and his statistics bear that out. Merlin’s 3.2 key passes per game yielded 9 assists, suggesting the finishing at the end of those passes could have improved (for comparison, Yaya had 9 assists on just 1.1 key passes).
Never shying away from the pressure that consistently comes with always being the creative player on the ball – an almost intrinsic characteristic of the world class players – Silva’s beginning to collect trophies for fun. Indeed, his collections cabinet must be getting rather crowded: two Premier League titles (both as the most creative player in the side), one FA Cup, and one League Cup to accompany his Euro 2008 and -2012 and 2010 World Cup medal.
In a season filled with great performers, it was Silva for me who remained the most consistent attacking threat, avoiding the little (in most cases) dips in form that seemed to affect every other member City's strike force. He – as you might expect, really – had no problem adapting to Pellegrini’s more attacking tactics that allowed the little Spaniard even more freedom to roam about the pitch, playing triangles, drifting into and out of space, sitting between the lines and playing passes that few others are capable of.
I've tried to think of my favorite moments from the little wizard this season and I've settled on two; and while neither resulted in goals, both are still absurd pieces of skill that nearly turned both games against Barcelona to City's favor:
Silva's Control and Volley (and saved by Valdes)
