Shining Silva is losing his gloss
ANYBODY who watched David Silva weave his way through an imperious Manchester City season will no doubt find it strange that he arrived in Moscow yesterday carrying much of the criticism for Spain’s modest progress through the group stages of the World Cup on his shoulders.
Silva was magnificent for City last season as they won the Premier League, his third title at the club. Kevin De Bruyne may have been City’s player of the year but Silva remains their most consistent and gifted individual.
In Spain, the 32-year-old is held in high regard too and maybe that is why players l i ke himself and Andres Iniesta have been targeted by critics at home since the team began their tournament with a 3-3 draw with Portugal.
Standards are high in Spain and when the national team do not meet expectations it is the most gifted players who tend to find themselves in the headlines.
‘I t hink much has been said already,’ said Silva — who has never scored a World Cup goal — with a shrug yesterday. ‘We have to focus on the game and try to change things ourselves.
‘I have been here for 12 years and am used to criticism, even when it’s not deserved.
‘It’s been a tough group. We have been behind four times in games but have come back. Please remember there are two teams on the pitch.’
For Silva last season was as tough as any he has faced. When his son, Mateo, was born prematurely last December, he was given indefinite leave of absence to be by his bedside but still managed to exert his unique influence on Pep Guardiola’s team as they won the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
Here in Russia, his form has been more modest and has mirrored that of Fernando Hierro’ s team. Following that draw with Portugal with a 1-0 win over Iran and then coming from behind twice to claim a 2-2 draw with Morocco, Spain face host nation Russia today knowing that improvement must arrive quickly.
Silva was calm in the face of questions about his form yesterday but was perhaps naive to feel that people would believe Spain’ s problems have come from teams setting up negatively against them.
After all, Portugal and Morocco both led twice against them.
‘What has taken us to success over the years is ball possession,’ he said. ‘Our philosophy is the appropriate one and the one that has taken us to victory for many years.
‘But this is a World Cup and there is always a rival ahead of us. Almost all top teams are having a hard time. We want to correct our mistakes. Some teams park the bus and it can be hard to shine because of that approach.
‘In a World Cup any opponent is tough. We saw that in our group when it was hard to win. It will be as hard to play against Russia as it would be against Brazil.
‘But we do need to defend much better as the smallest mistake can send you home.’
If Spain approach today under a bit of pressure, this game at Luzhniki Stadium represents something of a free hit for Russia.
Having come into the tournament with some abysmal form behind t hem, the hosts have already been able to exceed most people’s expectations.
They opened t heir campaign with eight goals in two games, and the subsequent 3- 0 defeat to Uruguay hasn’t done anything to dampen the joy that has greeted Russia’s passage to the knockout stages.
Inevitably their progress through the tournament has come against a background of suggestions of doping. Much of that has come on the back of statistics showing how physically impressive Stanislav Cherchesov’s team have performed in terms of the distances covered by the players during their three games so far.
Yesterday’s Russia press conference featured a strange moment when a Spanish journalist asked winger Denis Cheryshev if he had ever taken a growth hormone.
Cheryshev, who plays in La Liga in Spain with Villarreal, is Russia’s top scorer at the tournament with three goals, two behind England captain Harry Kane.
He said: ‘I have never used any prohibited substances. We don’t have to discuss it further. That’s my answer.
‘This needs to be a party. The people need to enjoy their day and their team. ‘We have to give 200 per cent. We are ready to do a good job.’
‘SOME TEAMS PARK THE BUS, THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR US TO SHINE’