Fernandinho – Time for More Praise

This is a guest post from Peter Jonson.

Ever since he joined Manchester City, Fernandinho has never attracted the widespread acclaim that he deserves. For a couple of years, his central midfield partner Yaya Toure was on the receiving end of the media’s praise for his goalscoring ability and composure in possession, but in the background, Fernandinho’s awareness of both his attacking and defensive duties, and his capacity to cover every blade of grass on the pitch, allowed Yaya to prosper.

Many fans recognised the Brazilian’s qualities, but those in the media never seemed to afford him to column inches that the consistency of his performances merited. That has changed this season, however.

Perhaps it is due to Pep Guardiola’s arrival and the fact that his system requires greater positional intelligence and understanding of the game, that Fernandinho is starting to be appreciated by all quarters. His non-stop running and ability to close down in one instant and then pop up yards away the next in space is still there, but he is starting to be feted for his awareness of what he needs to do when City have the ball.

If you were to bet in casinos on which City player Guardiola appreciated the most for his tactical awareness, then I’m sure Fernandinho would be very high up on the list!

If the Blues’ defenders are in possession, then he is adept at either dropping deep to provide them with another option, or he is equally comfortable moving forward into his regular midfield position to help the team. It is that decision-making ability under pressure that so attracts Pep Guardiola, who has said recently to the press in Manchester that he would love City to have multiple Fernandinho’s.

There is no other replacement for him in the squad. Fernando, his good mate, is too awkward and slow in possession, whilst not having anything like the same impact going forward. Fabian Delph is as mobile and energetic as Fernandinho, but injuries have prevented him from showing his quality over an extended period of time at City. Yaya Toure, once an important figure, is now barely even on the fringes. Ilkay Gundogan has settled in well further forward, but could lack the bite to play the role.

All of that underlines Fernandinho’s significance to Guardiola and to City, and much of the side’s hopes this season in four competitions rest on his shoulders. Should he be able to continue his superb start to the season, City will be hard to beat domestically and will be well-placed to make an impression in European competition.