David Silva Quotes

The lower you go down the levels, the more players think they need to hang on to the ball to prove how talented they are, but that's not football.

I think that football has changed, it has become more complex. For example, it's faster, you have less free space, and you have to play from such small spaces.

I'd say my main quality is keeping the ball and my passing.

Every footballer enjoys having the ball at their feet. There are times in training you find yourself without the ball. I enjoy that side of it as well. If we can spend more time working with the ball then everyone will enjoy it.

For Guardiola, the system and tactics can change but not the approach, attitude, or philosophy.

Anybody who has played with Mesut will tell you how intelligent he is as a player. His vision is probably the best I have ever seen and that is why it is so important to have the right striker ahead of him.

Usually, the most intelligent player is a midfielder.

I like to control the ball and analyse the game.

Dominating the midfield is the most important thing in modern football. To succeed, you have to be good at everything.

If you want to play dominant football, you need to get the ball, think fast, and play quick combinations in small spaces.

I spent the best part of 20 years trying to stop people like Chris Waddle from playing. Now I'm convinced that good touch and loads of movement are the way forward.

Obviously, culturally, England's style of play is a lot more direct and physical. In Spain, they're a lot more patient, and they have the ball a lot more.

We try and play football in a positive way. Any team has to be defensively organised, but you have to look at the attributes of the players and play to their strengths.

When teams train now, it is about what they do with the ball and, if they lose it, how quickly they press to win it back.

Guardiola focuses only on the tactics.

I remember being coached at Liverpool, and there was another kid called Toni Silva, and they said, 'You know, instead of blasting the ball, and it goes in, do like Toni does: pass it around the keeper.'

Obviously, I don't have any real speed to work with so I have to use other things. The modern game is very speed based so as soon as managers see that you haven't got that pace it can be tough.

I spend the entire 90 minutes looking for space on the pitch. I'm always between the opposition's two holding midfielders and thinking, 'The defence is here, so I get the ball and I go there to where the space is.'

I am a believer in passing the ball on the ground, I was lucky to be part of teams like that at Arsenal, with the French national team and with Monaco and at Barcelona. I know you can win in other ways, but I believe that is the way football should be played.

The way children are taught football doesn't encourage skill; the focus is on other areas.

The way Guardiola plays suits me. It enables me to get into space in attacking positions.

By playing in the street, the level of Asian football can absolutely improve, as you will get more technical players. They will be quicker, more creative, and after succeeding in the street, it will be a piece of cake for them to do well eleven a side.

Manager Kit Symons sees our players daily. As a top-flight player not that long ago, Kit knows and feels the game.

Spalletti made a difference for me. He gives great importance to the details and, at minimum, wants the goalkeeper to know how to play with the ball at his feet.

Busquets reads everything. Players like Busquets or Xabi Alonso in midfield have the capacity to read the whole game.