Guardiola praises Silva

CAIRO – 1 November 2017: Pep Guardiola's admiration of David Silva is not a secret. There were numerous times during last season he praised Silva and the importance he has in his system.

Before the duel between City and Napoli, Silva and Guardiola appeared at a press conference, according to the official Manchester City website, and the Catalan coach returned to dedicate warm words for his player.

Guardiola admitted that he would have loved for David Silva to be part of his team at Barcelona when he was a coach there. Barcelona has one of the best generations in history, but the coach unveiled what the reason was that prevented his signing. "Silva is a legend of Manchester City, and of course it would have been a pleasure to have him at Barcelona, but he was too expensive," Guardiola stated.

The price was the main obstacle for Guardiola to sign Silva, who could enjoy playing at Barcelona before ending his career, but the truth is that in more than a year, both Pep and Silva have together become a key piece of Manchester City’s system.

Guardiola has placed Silva as interior midfielder in his (4-3-3) tactical formation, and Silva has acquired more relevance than ever on the pitch.

"I always try to put inside players capable of keeping the ball, even when they are under a lot of pressure. David is a master of this,” said Guardiola, who also extolled the character of his footballer. He added that "when he goes to the field, he has a huge personality. He does not hide and always takes a step forward in complicated moments."