5 reasons why Manchester City have started so well

#5 Fernandinho is worth two players

Fernandinho and Kolašinac battle

Fernandinho is now a veteran in a fairly young City side. At thirty-two, he moved to England in 2013 and his role has developed over time. Initially, he played alongside Yaya Touré and stayed deep and won the ball which gave Touré a free midfield role.

He has also shown that he is capable of playing at the highest level in the Brazilian national team and like his teammate Ederson he will be hoping to start in the World Cup next summer.

Since last season he has expanded his game, retaining his ball turnover skills but and has even managed to score two league goals.

Now playing alongside De Bruyne and his manager describes his strengths to the club website as:

“He can play in 10 positions. Last season he played full-back many times. It’s important to create a good team with good guys and he is one of them. He is a fundamental player for us and I am happy to have him.”

At Barcelona, Guardiola had the luxury of a midfield three of Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi. However, because of the makeup of his current squad, Fernandinho is of great importance combining the roles of all three Spaniards.

Like De Bruyne, it is unclear how City would be able to operate in his absence. The club signed ?lkay Gündo?an last season and despite many injuries, he has shown the ability to operate effectively in the system.

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