It has been a decent season so far for Premier League’s defending champions Manchester City, even though they are trailing Liverpool by 4 points at the top.
Considering the fact that Pep Guardiola will have the January transfer window to reshape his squad once again, we could expect the Sky Blues to maintain their dominance in the league during the second half of the campaign.
However, one of the main issues Guardiola must resolve in the upcoming transfer window is the lack of depth in the defensive midfield position and in this article, we will discuss three reasons why the Catalan mastermind needs to sign a holding midfielder next.
An ageing Fernandinho
Fernandinho surprisingly emerged as an excellent fit under Guardiola, despite initial fears over his apparent lack of mobility or technical prowess. Although the Brazilian has greatly improved on that score in recent years, he certainly wasn’t viewed as the ideal player for the Catalan, when he first arrived at the Etihad.
Indeed, Fernandinho has achieved immense success and has been an ever-present figure in the holding midfield role for Manchester City, making over 250 appearances in all competitions.
That being said, the Brazilian international will turn 34 in May of next year and therefore, he can’t be deemed as a long-term option for the Sky Blues.
Additionally, it has also deteriorated Fernandinho’s overall quality as a player along with his fitness levels. We have also witnessed an unnatural number of mistakes creep into his game thereby accentuating the need for a new holding midfielder, who can be crafted as a long-term replacement for the Brazilian international.
City need a more versatile option
Despite Fernandinho’s exceptional quality when it comes to breaking up play or winning personal duels in the middle of the pitch, he is often limited in terms of his technical prowess, which serves as a key feature in Guardiola’s tactical philosophy.
Therefore, City need to invest in someone, who, aside from providing security in midfield, can also orchestrate the game with top-notch passing as well as providing accurate long-balls.
Also, despite Foden and Bernardo Silva being touted as potential replacements for David Silva, we have seen City not have the same bite in midfield when the Spaniard is not on the pitch, despite having the above options. Thus, a holding midfield player adept defensively and having the legs and inventiveness to create chances when called upon will be a huge boost for City.
Pace has become important – now more than ever
Aside from the fact that Fernadinho is ageing and can’t be banked upon in the long-term, a huge downside to his gameplay is his lack of pace.
As the influx of foreign managers has greatly reinvigorated the quality of attacking football in recent years, pace has become a vital asset of any team, especially in midfield, the quality of which, often depicts the overall strength of any particular team.
And given Guardiola’s possession-based system, teams often like to sit-deep and hunt for counter-attacking opportunities, making it imperative to have a player who can cover up a lot of ground in a short span of time and therefore, they must sign someone who can be a reliable option, in that regard.
