Everton's Jack Rodwell was dogged but he could not stop David SilvaThe Everton midfielder followed the Manchester city star with discipline and diligence but could not contain him for 90 minutes
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David Pleat The Guardian, Monday 26 September 2011 Article history
With Jack Rodwell man-marking David Silva, and the Spanish international drifting inside, it left room for Micah Richards to get forward and attack. Photograph: Graphic
A defensive gameplan designed to stifle Manchester City's creator in chief, David Silva, imploded in the 68th minute when Mario Balotelli broke the deadlock of Everton's disciplined resistance. The highly rated Jack Rodwell was given the task of shadowing the roaming Spain forward whose clever passing skills are the catalyst for most of City's goal chances. It was a clever idea and David Moyes's men almost succeeded.
Man-marking is a rarely used strategy in the modern game. In the past, great players have been allocated shadows to mark them tightly who are instructed not to worry about contributing when their side gains possession. Arsenal's Peter Storey and Chelsea's Ron Harris were excellent in this role. During my days at Sheffield Wednesday I assigned Peter Atherton to man-mark Gianfranco Zola in one game at Stamford Bridge and he did a superb job against the brilliant Italian in a 2-2 draw.
However, for every upside of any designated plan there is a corresponding downside. The marker, Rodwell was discouraged from joining in when his team regained possession so, in effect when they had the ball, Everton were a man short. Also in this system the frontrunner, Tim Cahill, can get isolated when longer passes get swallowed up by powerful centre-backs, Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany, in a two-versus-one situation.
Moyes reverted to his tried and trusted troops to contain a buoyant City side, picking a five-man midfield with his valued lieutenant Phil Neville returning to anchor. In a niggly first half Everton thwarted City's approach play with strong tackling and admirable tactical discipline.
With Leon Osman having to play narrow to bolster central areas with Rodwell following Silva doggedly, Leighton Baines found early space to get forward when Silva vacated his right-side berth to hunt the ball. Later in the game Micah Richards, the Manchester City right-back, realised the opportunity to attack this space from wider positions and helped turned the game in City's favour.
Rodwell had followed Silva with discipline, concentration and diligence, particularly as he was under the threat of a yellow card. It takes self-control to man-mark in midfield areas for long periods without losing the plot – it is easy to forget the role and go in search of the ball.
Balotelli's deflected shot broke Moyes's gameplan and then we saw the mentality change. When Everton were forced eventually to release the shackling of Silva the Spaniard, without Rodwell's steadfast attention, put the ball into the Everton net but it was disallowed.
Further pain was suffered when Silva, again without his marker, provided James Milner with the chance to put further daylight between the teams.