David Silva: Manchester City Can Stop Messi
By Zaid Khan
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Manchester City’s Spanish maestro David Silva believes that the Citizens can certainly stop Lionel Messi and overturn their 2-1 deficit in order to seal a dramatic passage to the quarter finals of the Champions League.
Manuel Pellegrini’s men were stunned by Sean Dyche’s Burnley at Turf Moor, and the Eithad Stadium outfits title chances were all but shattered and frozen out.
Surprisingly, the Citizens’ only realistic shot at winning any silverware is the Champions League, with Luis Enrique’s Barcelona standing in their way.
Although history is against Manchester City, you cannot completely rule out their chances of staging an upset at the Camp Nou.
Keeping this very thought in mind, David Silva was upbeat and optimistic about his side’s chances of trouncing Barcelona and insists that City have a plan in place in order to tackle the Catalans and halt Messi.
Although he asserted the fact that the Argentine ‘genius’ is the best in the world at the moment, Silva believes that his threat can be nullified if City cut out ‘silly mistakes’. The Spaniard said:
"You can stop Messi by working a lot. I am of those who think that the best way to stop Messi is to stop the others: Iniesta, Xavi… Messi is capable of deciding a game alone, but if you make sure he has less support, it is better.He is the best, but he has the best behind him, alone he would do nothing."
Barcelona lead 2-1 from the first leg at the Etihad but Silva reckons City can turn it around.
"If we play as we did in the second half, not committing silly mistakes and having a bit of luck, we can knock out Barca.They are the favourites, because they have an advantage and are playing at home, but there is a game left to play and we will try our best. When I see City’s team I know we can beat anyone."
City’s fall from grace since the turn of the year has been well documented. Pellegrini’s men have been in ghastly touch, failing to recreate the magic they so often treated their fans to.
Key players like Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta have been in disastrous touch, and given the current scheme of affairs, it is difficult to believe that the Citizens can knock Barcelona out.
But, looking at the brighter side of things, the defeat to Burnley could very well be the impending wake-up call City needed so badly.
Additionally, there’s no denying that if the Citizens hit their stride and get into the groove at the Camp Nou, there is every chance that Barcelona could be knocked out by an emphatic display of valor and stealth by Pellegrini’s troops – a performance reminiscent to the one that City exuded in their win against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in the group stages.