Manchester: Jesus Navas did his best to suggest he had not taken offence, but the reaction to being asked whether Manchester City have become over-reliant on Sergio Aguero hinted at a growing exasperation with the focus on his prolific teammate.
With 19 goals in 20 appearances for City this season, Aguero has consolidated his status as the team’s talisman, but a shrug of the shoulders and half-laugh from Navas betrayed the sense of the Argentine monopolising the plaudits as the club attempt to keep pace with Premier League leaders Chelsea. “It’s fantastic that we’ve got Sergio among our ranks,” Navas said.
“A player like him can make the difference. But we are really becoming a solid unit now, we are defending as a block, as a unit. I think that’s helping with the fact that we’ve managed to turn the results around. We are keeping tight and working as a team.”
So where would Manuel Pellegrini’s team be without Aguero and the goals that have, most notably against Bayern Munich, turned failure into success at times this season. “I couldn’t tell you,” Navas said. “What you have to remember is that we’re all working really hard in the same direction to take City up the league. We’re pushing forward all the time to create as many chances for him as possible.”
At 29, Navas has been around long enough, for club and country, to understand that the team ethic outweighs individual brilliance. Having won the World Cup and European Championships with Spain - the embodiment of team over individual - Navas has the medals to back up the argument, but the former Sevilla winger fully accepts the special qualities that have elevated Aguero to superstardom.
And having played alongside Diego Costa with Spain, he is uniquely placed to assess the respective qualities of the Premier League’s most feared forwards. “They are both top players on the world stage,” Navas said. “They are both natural goalscorers, but you would probably say their strengths are slightly different. In terms of Sergio, it’s his speed and the fact he can turn and take people on directly.
“Costa is known for his strength and is excellent with his back to goal and how he holds the ball up. They are both great in front of goal, but I think with Sergio, you have to approach it differently. You have to think of his sense of anticipation, where he’ll be moving to. With Costa you tend to look for him more in the air. You can put a high ball into Costa but with Sergio you can be confident of playing it into feet, into the gaps or the hole and he’ll anticipate that and get on the end of it.”
In a title race that may yet boil down to the fitness and form of Costa and Aguero, the ability of City or Chelsea to succeed without their goalscorers could prove key. And Navas insists that City, aiming to become only the third club after Chelsea and Manchester United to retain the Premier League title, have a stronger all-round squad. “We are lucky to have Kun [Aguero], they are lucky to have Costa,” Navas said.
- The Telegraph Group Limited, 2014
