It was always Kevin De Bruyne against Mohamed Salah. The battle to be crowned the best player during the 2017/18 Premier League season was widely seen as a two-horse race, but De Bruyne also had plenty challengers from within his own team at various stages of the season, as Manchester City charged, and subsequently cruised, to the title.
One of the most consistent players behind De Bruyne was David Silva. The Belgian’s attacking midfield partner has been one of the best players in the Premier League during his stay in England, and during periods of last season’s triumph he was even eclipsing his more lauded team-mate.
There was the run of three games at the beginning of December in which Silva scored in each. A goal against West Ham United, the opener against Manchester United in the 2-1 win at old trafford, and a brace in his masterful display at Swansea City.
The performance in South Wales was so good, that the official Manchester City website published a video showing all of his 129 touches during a game in which he racked up a pass completion of 93 per cent.
A standard Silva performance would be most other players' season highlight, and this sometimes makes it difficult to pick his stand-out games, but a March Monday night in Stoke saw him grab another brace and run the show as he had at Swansea.
A line on him in the report from that game for the Sportsman read: “At 32, the Spaniard is entering the twilight of his career, but under the tutelage of Guardiola he looks to have found his best role in a style of play which suits him. This particular sunset could be one of great majesty.”
And it continues to be so into the new season. He will turn 33 during this campaign, but he is showing no signs of dropping off, and if anything the early indications are that he is continuing to improve.
His first appearance of the season came in the second game of their title defence against Huddersfield. He impressed in a different way, having fewer touches of the ball than usual, but making sure he propelled the team forward with every pass.
He emerged from the game with six key passes — more than any other player on the pitch — and managed to find the top corner with a free kick before being replaced by Riyad Mahrez just after the hour mark.
De Bruyne will miss three months at the start of the new season with a knee injury, but Silva stepped up in his absence, becoming the player making the telling plays in attacking areas as well as acting in his usual role as facilitator of these.
His namesake Bernardo Silva has been widely tipped as the player to step up in De Bruyne’s absence, and the Portuguese will definitely have a big part to play, but what may happen is that Bernardo steps into Silva’s role, regardless of his position, while the Spaniard becomes the creative hub of the side in the area of the pitch which grabs the headlines.
His six key passes against Huddersfield suggest this is the case, and even though there weren’t any assists to build on the 11 he made last season, these will surely arrive if he continues to create in this manner.
It could be yet another season in which Silva shines, and thanks to the perfect combination of his skillset and Guardiola’s style of play, he could emerge as the best player in the side — officially this time.
It’s difficult to tell from the Huddersfield game alone, but early signs against a Maurizio Sarri Chelsea side in the Community Shield, and Unai Emery’s Arsenal in the season opener, suggest that Manchester City will plough on towards another record breaking season this time around.
Those looking to stop them will require their star players to match the quality Silva delivers for his side on a weekly basis, and this is no easy task. This will be his ninth season in the Premier League, and even as he approaches his mid thirties, it could well be his best yet, for the second season in a row.
