Why David Silva Was the Most Valuable Manchester City Player in 2014

Manchester City have had a wonderful 2014. A League Cup win back in early March ended Manuel Pellegrini's wait for a major trophy as a manager in Europe, and that was quickly followed up by the club's second Premier League title in three seasons when they overhauled Liverpool back in May.

Add to that the opening of the club's new academy and first-team training centre—an 80-acre site of world-class facilities which should ensure the club’s long-term ability to attract the very best players and nurture young talent—as well as the positive financial results, and it becomes increasingly clear City have made positive steps in 2014.

But which player has made the biggest impact?

Yaya Toure is certainly a contender. He scored in the League Cup final against Sunderland at Wembley and was outstanding during the final weeks of the league campaign, scoring goals in wins over Fulham (3), Manchester United, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

And it wasn't just his goals which had an impact. He has the ability to dictate play with his passing and vision, and that capability to pick the ball up and drive at the heart of opposition defences, scaring them into submission and leaving them scattered across the turf in a mesmerised heap.

However, his calendar year has been somewhat damaged by a difficult start to this season. A summer of strange discontent was followed up by a string of poor displays. He was anonymous, struggling to recreate his displays of last season which had been so devastating and, at times, ground-breaking.

The death of his brother, which is rarely mentioned as a mitigating factor, clearly affected him, and for that, he deserves to be cut some slack. He has showed great character since that run, too, with his form picking up hugely since November.

Toure is now a key figure once more, but that period of patchy form denies him the opportunity to be considered City's most valuable player in 2014.

Sergio Aguero is another obvious candidate given his goalscoring ability, but injury has affected him badly in 2014. His hat trick against Watford in the FA Cup and his goal away at Tottenham in the 5-1 win at the end of January were indicative of his form leading up to this year, but the injury he suffered at White Hart Lane, after a quite memorable first-half performance, ruined his season.

He only scored two more goals before the end of the campaign, including a vital one past Tim Howard at Goodison Park during City’s superb win over Everton which pretty much sealed their title win.

He went to the World Cup and continued to look injury-affected, never really displaying his best at any stage, but a short period of rest during what was left of pre-season and a careful reintroduction to the City first team saw him return to his very best.

Nineteen goals in 21 appearances this season are the mark of a player who is very much back to peak form. Aguero can score goals from seemingly nothing, with a quick shift in direction and and a lethal strike his trademark.

Quite how he buys himself half a yard so quickly and finishes so emphatically is a mystery to most, but it makes him, without question, one of the most feared marksmen in world football—his recent goal away at Sunderland being the clearest example of his explosive ability.

His injury-ravaged period from February to May, though, leaves the accolade of City's most valuable player in 2014 to David Silva.

If Aguero determines how many City win by, then Silva decides whether they win the game at all. Everything goes through the Spaniard, with creativity, such a vital ingredient in Pellegrini’s team, his forte.

He finds pockets of space all over the pitch, displaying a wonderful ability to keep possession, regardless of the pressure he is under, with a touch and vision rare in football.

Played on the left, as he often is, he drifts inside and looks to influence play more centrally, but his best form is almost always when he starts in a central role, and it was from that position he dragged City over the line and brought the Premier League trophy back to the Etihad in May.

His performance at Hull, where City’s season was on the ropes after Vincent Kompany’s sending off, was the catalyst for the team’s improvement, the start of a remarkable run that saw them surpass a resurgent Liverpool, who posed a significant threat throughout the season, spearheaded by Luis Suarez.

He was magnificent that day, scoring a superb goal and giving a Man of the Match display which saw City win 2-0 and keep their title hopes alive. And from that point on, Silva and City were rampant.

His influence was increasing all the time, and his performances at Old Trafford, the Emirates and Goodison Park, as well as at home to Aston Villa and West Ham, were sensational and key to City's title win. However, it's his Man of the Match showing at Anfield, in a game City lost, which remains the most remarkable display of skill and intelligence anyone in Blue has managed for years.

With City 2-0 down and facing a hiding, his second-half performance was genuinely world-class, a mix of controlled passing and movement and a desire to win under any circumstances. He scored to give City hope before his cross was deflected in by Glen Johnson to restore parity.

He continued ripping through the Liverpool defence at will, and he provided a cross for Aguero which the Argentine missed by a whisker. From a desperate situation where the blues were being outplayed, Silva had taken them to within an inch of a famous victory.

A Kompany error handed Liverpool the points and the initiative in the title race, but no one who saw that game will forget Silva’s showing. It was a genuine masterclass.

And again this season, he has been superb—far more influential in the central role just behind a lone striker, where he can do more damage in dangerous areas. In fact, his 60-minute display at The Hawthorns, where he dictated City’s play and got them 3-0 up in double-quick time, was not far short of the quality he showed at Anfield last season.

Pellegrini has a tough decision to make when all his strikers return. Continue playing two up front with Silva on the left? Or make Aguero a lone forward and play Silva, his best and most creative player, in the role which suits him?

Regardless of what the future holds, 2014 was certainly Silva's year.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.