Manchester City's incredible success last season was far removed from the tiki-taka world that was once associated with Pep Guardiola.
On the way to winning the Treble, the manager picked four big central defenders across his backline to complement a unit in front of them and an imposing No.9 up front to bang the goals in. Everybody knew what to expect but stopping it proved too difficult for the best teams in England and Europe.
Consecutive league defeats for the first time in five years have rather taken the shine off the start, but City are two points off the top of the Premier League after eight games and with the initiative in their Champions League group. They have only done that because others have stepped up. Alvarez has had the most attention thanks to his six goals and four assists - the most goal involvements of any player in the team. The 23-year-old is playing nominally because De Bruyne is injured but his striking tendencies see him more often find space in the box and with better finishing, allowing him to create uncertainty for opposition defenders unclear as to what role he is playing.
Silva may not drift as much but moves decisively when asked to in-game for whatever situation Guardiola requires. His switch from the middle to the right wing against West Ham in the second half proved important in turning that game around, and he did what was asked of him to fill in for Rodri against Arsenal.
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