Samir Nasri has been an absolute star for Sevilla since joining the Spanish club on loan. He was welcomed by fans and the local media as a star before he set foot on the pitch, and that may well have helped the subsequent performances.
It probably wouldnt be going too far to say the former Arsenal player, currently owned by Manchester City, is the best Sevilla have at the moment, and he keeps underlining that.
At Arsenal and at Manchester City, Nasri was able to show his undoubted talent, but there were also disappointing periods. That made Arsenal fans especially angry when the player moved to Manchester City, and there he sometimes struggled through a lack of prominence.
Prior to the international break there were worries Nasri would be facing a few weeks out with a hamstring injury, and that was a genuine worry for Sevilla, but instead he was available immediately when games started again, and scored against both Leganes and Dinamo Zagreb.
He’s been playing a more advanced role, as he often has, but told Marca: “My favourite position is the pivot. I like to touch the ball, being in the middle of the team. I do not like being at the tip, but I’m playing there because the coach needed me and thought it was best for the team. But if you ask me where I prefer to play, I tell you in the midfield.
“In Marseille I used to play central midfielder… Only when I went to Manchester, and a bit at Arsenal, was when I started playing at the tip.”
It was Arsene Wenger and Arsenal who started playing Nasri more forward, and whilst it’s not what he prefers, it’s absolutely clear the footballer is happy to play wherever a manager wants him… he just wants to be involved a lot.