David Silva: Man City building own identity

The Spain playmaker has enjoyed a return to form under new City boss Pep Guardiola so far this season and he says the Blues boast different attacking weaponsDavid Silva insists Manchester City are forging their own style under Pep Guardiola.City beat West Ham 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, a game in which they threatened to blow the Hammers away with some sparkling football during the first half.The Blues’ mettle was put to the test after Michail Antonio pulled a goal back for the visitors, but they made sure of victory in stoppage time when Raheem Sterling cheekily rolled in his second of the game.Guardiola had said in pre-season that it would take several months for his side to truly get to grips with his methods, but there were signs that the squad are already taking his demands on board.The Catalan established a high-tempo passing game during his time at Barcelona and then utilised Bayern Munich’s speedy wingers as he guided the Bavarians to three consecutive Bundesliga titles.But Silva, who has enjoyed a fine start to the season after a difficult 2015-16 campaign, says City are building something different.We have our own style,” he said. “We have good players who like to have the ball, and we also have fast players so we can play on the counter. I think we’re improving every day and that’s good for the team.”Silva was dogged by an ankle injury for much of Manuel Pellegrini’s final season in charge and often required pain-killing injections before matches.That led to a dip in form and suggestions by some that the Spaniard would struggle to keep up with Guardiola’s intense brand of football.But although he has enjoyed some impressive performances so far this term, and looks to be an important player in the manager’s system, Silva was keen to turn the attention to his team-mates.“I’m fine, I feel good,” he acknowledged. “The team is improving every game, we’re showing that on the pitch. Today we created a lot of goalscoring opportunities and we hope to keep improving.”City will face United in the Manchester derby after the international break and Silva insists his side will be going to Old Trafford to claim all three points.“It’s always going to be a difficult and important game, but we hope to win. We know it’s a difficult place to go but now we’re thinking about our national teams, which come before, and then we’ll think about, and work towards, the derby.”