David Silva has never been on the receiving end of a cup giant-killing - and he doesn’t intend to start now. The Spanish midfielder has watched aghast as League Two side Bradford City cut a swathe through three Premier League teams in the Capital One Cup to reach the final. And with Oldham Athletic heading another phalanx of cup shockers in the FA Cup – along with Brighton, Millwall and Luton – this appears to be the year of the underdog. Barnsley, currently engaged in a bitter battle against relegation from the Championship, arrive at a sold-out Etihad Stadium on Saturday teatime aiming to add to the list of shocks. City have avoided that particular banana skin during the reign of Roberto Mancini, their last shock defeat coming against Nottingham Forest in the third round four years ago. And that means Silva knows nothing of upsets. Indeed, the nearest he has ever been to involvement in a shock result came when his Valencia side took on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final in 2008. In that case Valencia – including current stars Silva, David Villa and Juan Mata – were tenth in La Liga while Barca were third. Silva told M.E.N. Sport: “The Copa del Rey is similar to the FA Cup but not as interesting. In Spain it is much more difficult for the smaller teams to rise to the top, but we have seen that in England smaller teams can get to the finals. “The nearest I came to playing in a giant-killing game was when I was at Valencia. We were a big team, but we won the cup and beat Barcelona, who were the biggest team.” Saturday’s quarter-final books a Wembley place for the winners, as the FA continues to stage semi-finals at their headquarters, to be played over the weekend of April 13 and 14. Silva’s Copa del Rey winner’s medal five years ago was the only major honour he won in Spain – after seeing off Barca over two legs in the semi-final, they beat Getafe in the final. And his first taste of success in his new career in England was the 2011 FA Cup triumph, and that makes the competition special for the Canary Islander. “We are only one game away from going back to Wembley again,” he said. “On paper Barnsley are a small team, but they are in the quarter-final because they deserve to be, so we will have to be very cautious and try to win the game. “Wembley is an amazing place to play football and I have been lucky enough to have already played there. Now I want to get to another final.” City expect a physical encounter against the Tykes, who will try to ruffle their Premier League feathers, and their 6,000 travelling fans expect full commitment from their team. Barnsley are steeped in a tough Yorkshire tradition, going back to the legendary Skinner Normanton who emerged from the coal pit to strike fear into opponents throughout the land in the 1950s. Robledo, Whyte, Pallister, Normanton and Kitchen lend a hand with the roller at Fleetwood F.C. ground where Barnsley F.C. prepared for their cup tie with Manchester City. January 1948. (photo copyright mirrorpix) That reverence of the physical side of the game remains strong in the English game, despite the sanitising attempts of successive rule changes and the creeping influence of the minimal-contact Continental game. Silva has found his feet amidst the flying boots of the English top flight in the last three seasons and he is ready for Barnsley: “In the first few months after arriving in England I found it difficult but I am very comfortable with the game here now and happy to be here.” The Blues will be without Sergio Aguero, whose knee problem will not be risked, and Jack Rodwell, whose hamstring problem re-occurred in the win at Aston Villa on Monday night. Silva had words of sympathy and comfort for Rodwell, recalling his own battle against a serious ankle problem while at Valencia in 2009. He needed surgery and spent three months out, the longest he has spent out through injury, and said of Rodwell: “It’s a great shame he is injured again after getting back into the team and playing in the last two games. “I have never been injured in the same way, but I know what it’s like to have an injury where you can’t see the end of the tunnel. Jack needs to know that in the end you get there, you just have to keep walking until you start to see the light again. “He has worked really really hard already, but he needs to keep concentrating, and he will be back with us.”
Deary me We're going there to kick lumps out of them spurred on by the ghost of Skinner Normanton. Sparkling journalism
Re: Deary me Exactly EN. We have had one sending off all season (Hassell) and only Foster has 5 yellows or more. It's virtually a puffs game now, and you can't get away with any over physical stuff anyway.
Amazing isn't it Silva's comments were fine but what is the journoloust thinking? It's as if Hill and Flicker's footballing principles didn't exist. Even in the Premier League Barnsley tried to play it the right way, with Wilson saying that Barnsley folk work hard all week so they don't want to see dire clogging at the end of the week. Absolutely baffling. Battling Barnsley and Skinner Normanton. At least he realised before publishing that we're not Burnley so some consolation points for him.
Re: Amazing isn't it Can't argue with anything Silva says, it's the journo's dip into the patronising tin that pees me off. Patronising and basically wrong in fact.
Re: Amazing isn't it I hope the Journos right......kick the **** out the fancy Dans.......There will be blood........although Perkins v Toure makes me think of the killer rabbit sketch in Monty Pythons Holy Grail for some reason.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmu5sRIizdw
