Who is better, David Silva or Cesc Fabregas?

I'm having a heated debate with my friend over who is the better player.

Personally, I think that Silva has stepped up this season and has become better than Fabregas ever was. Although Cesc started young and regularly led the assist charts, I still felt that last season many teams (such as us) sussed him out by closing him down quickly, and he became quite inconsistent, leaving this season for the slower-paced Spanish League.

I think that Silva finds space better, has produced better form (and goals) for his country and is now a far more important player for his National Team, which is some achievement given the competition for midfielders in Spain!

However, people who rate Fabregas more will point to his superior goal scoring and assist making records. Like I say, all of the statistics from previous seasons point to Fabregas, but I think that if I had to pick a team right now, Silva would get there before him, because he offers more to the team with his workrate and tackling, finds space when he's on the ball better, and is far more consistent in the big games.

What are your thoughts?

 

Silva has been the best player at Man City, so I would say him though Fabregas is a class act.

 

How the hell do you create a poll now??

 

Fabregas for me, Silva has had better players around him I.E Aguero, Balotelli and Yaya Toure. Whereas Fabregas was the main man in a good but not great Arsenal team, he was always the one who made them click and he would find that killer pass.

 

Fabregas was immense for Arsenal the season before last, better in my opinion than Silva has been this year. Fabregas, despite having a bit of a bit part role at Barca, looks a better La Liga player than Silva too. So Fabregas for me, they're both top drawer though.

 

That's exactly the argument that my friend makes, but Arsenal were still challenging for the Title then, and they had players like Nasri, Arshavin (when he was good), Rosicky (ditto), Flamini and Gilberto playing around him.

Although not as good as Man City, they were still a world class team imo

 

Seriously, creating polls used to be easy, but I don't know what to do now. Anyone know how?

 

People talk about Silva as though he's the best player in the league and personally I haven't seen that. No doubt hes a tremendous talent and would walk into our team and infairness i haven't ever watched much on Man City

Cesc is one of my favourite players and i think is amazing. I used to watch Arsenal just to watch him. I think people seem to forget he was carrying an injury for most of his last Arsenal season and didn't really look as though he should have been playing in about half of the games he did. To carry (he basically did, it's not a slant at Arsenal they're doing well without him) a team as good as Arsenal at sucha young age is something very special. He gets my vote

 

I tend to focus on Silva when I watch City play now as well, and you can see how important he is to them when they started him on the bench against Sunderland and looked completely short of ideas.

I see your point about Fabregas struggling with injuries last season though, he couldn't string a run of games together, and that's why he often struggled to repeat his amazing form from the 2009-10 season.

 

Fabregas - scores more and assists more (I think(definitley scores more))

 

Phew, poll added.

Let's settle this!

 

You cannot really compare the two Fabregas is a CAM whereas Silva likes to play behind the striker/winger

 

I'm sure if i watched Silva i'd see how good he is. Fabregas caught my eye as soon as i saw him though, i think it's a real shame he's left english football

 

Surely CAM and behind the striker is the same thing?

I would say that for both their club teams (Maybe not Fab at Barca but certainly Arsenal), they are very similar in that the "go-to" playmakers, who pick the passes and dictate the tempo of the game. When Silva plays "on the wing" for Man City he usually drifts inside anyway. If you had to simplify both players positions to suit a flat 4-4-2 formation, you would almost certainly call them both "centre midfielders."

Although, it is weird that for their country Silva plays in a more advanced role, while Fabregas tends to be played deeper!

 

fabregas for Arsenal, who weren't winning things at the time: apps: 303 goals: 57 assists: 101
silva for valencia: apps: 155 goals: 29 assists: 40
And silva was older at this time
last season silva: apps: 55 goals: 6 assists: 13
last season fabregas: apps: 36 goals: 9 assists: 17
this season: silva: apps: 22 goals: 6 assists: 13
this season: fabregas: apps: 24 goals: 14 assists: 12
silva been better last 2 years? no. silva better in past? no
Fabregas is has and always will be a better play. And he's 2 years younger.
FABREGAS > SILVA

 

That confirms what i was too lazy too prove. I agree

 

I think Silva is absolutely immense. Better than Fabregas for me. Everything Man City do goes through Silva, and in a team with 'better players', for them to be so reliant on Silva just shows his talent.

 

Fair enough, but comparing La Liga to the Prem is never fair - When did Ronaldo ever score 50 odd goals in a season in England?

 

For me, Silva is faster and is better on the ball...As someone else has already pointed out - Fabregas couldn't play against solid teams who closed him down - Silva is quick enough for this not to matter!

 

Goals and assists aren't the be all and end all of what makes a truly great midfielder though!

EDIT: That's not to say that I disagree Fabregas WAS a better midfielder a couple of years ago, I just feel that Silva eclipses him now!