Silva plays well in the seasons when City win titles. He plays well in teams that are playing well. He's just been through three seasons of winning next to nothing and he's hungry - and presumably he's hungry to play for Spain as well.
In terms of Guardiola's management, there's that old idea that the "first 5 yards are in the head" and I can easily believe that's what we seeing here.
Otamendi was a good defender in Spain, it took him a while to become a good one here. Players are able to improve and learn. Particularly if the players around them are playing to a consistent style and you know what their positioning will be.
In other words, I'm not seeing something unnatural about City this season. What I do see though is that football as a whole has a very casual attitude to the topic, and has managed to avoid actually asking the hard questions.
Why wouldn't young players with a massive financial incentive to get a first contract risk it (they do in other sports and even for no financial gain) and why wouldn't a Championship club who stand to get millions on promotion take the gamble. At every level in the game there's an incentive to get the last drop out of the players, whether it's a World Cup final or a U18 squad place. Yet apparently more or less nobody does it, which seems just as unlikely as everyone does.
In terms of Guardiola's management, there's that old idea that the "first 5 yards are in the head" and I can easily believe that's what we seeing here.
Otamendi was a good defender in Spain, it took him a while to become a good one here. Players are able to improve and learn. Particularly if the players around them are playing to a consistent style and you know what their positioning will be.
In other words, I'm not seeing something unnatural about City this season. What I do see though is that football as a whole has a very casual attitude to the topic, and has managed to avoid actually asking the hard questions.
Why wouldn't young players with a massive financial incentive to get a first contract risk it (they do in other sports and even for no financial gain) and why wouldn't a Championship club who stand to get millions on promotion take the gamble. At every level in the game there's an incentive to get the last drop out of the players, whether it's a World Cup final or a U18 squad place. Yet apparently more or less nobody does it, which seems just as unlikely as everyone does.