The games in the Europa League have asked very different questions of the Blues from the normal hurly-burly of the Barclays Premier League, but they have come through to be within touching distance of qualification for the knock-out stages.
The canny Spanish international has hit his stride over recent weeks, but his first major impact for City came just a few minutes into the away fixture in Austria two months ago. Assessing the European campaign so far, David says,
“The pace of the game is a lot quicker in the Premier League, European games are more strategic, almost like games of chess. There’s a lot more emphasis on tactics, certainly from the teams we have played against.
“But I think we’re doing OK so far. If it was not for the bad luck we encountered in the last game, we would probably be on top of the group. We’re not far away, and it’s in our hands to do well.
We’re at home, so it’s down to us to win the game on our own turf. We’ve got to be positive, as three points on Wednesday should see us get out of the group.
The World Cup winner’s increasingly influential performances saw him named as City’s Etihad Player of the Month for October, but he modestly says that people around him have helped him settle in.
“Everything has been made so much easier by the way I’ve been treated so well by my team mates and everyone here at the club who has given me a helping hand.
“Moving here was tough to start off with, it was difficult physically, the speed of the game was different and I had to adapt to a different lifestyle. The language was a problem, even when playing, but things have gone very well for me since. The weather’s gone a lot colder but I don’t mind it because everything else is going so well for me.”
City’s tie with Leicester in the third round of the FA Cup has also caught David eye, and he adds:
“I can’t wait to play in the FA Cup because it’s such a famous competition around the world. I like the challenge of knock-out football, and with Leicester being at home they will be motivated to spring a surprise on us. Every team wants to beat us, no matter what competition it is, and this will be no different. We have an important few weeks before that but I will be really looking forward to it.”
