Manchester City's midfield is under scrutiny after three consecutive Premier League defeats left them six points behind Arsenal, with Enzo Fernandez's poor form prompting calls for Ayyoub Bouaddi to be given a starting role.
Fernandez's Struggles and City's Slide
Fernandez, signed for £125 million in September at the request of manager Enzo Maresca, has failed to replicate the form that made him a key figure at Chelsea. Maresca, who worked with Fernandez at Stamford Bridge, believed the Argentina international would help others adapt to his methods and become a key player in the new era at the Etihad.
Speaking after the deal was confirmed, Maresca said: "I know what he can bring to the team. He's a winner, has a winner's mentality. He knows how to win - World Cup, Club World Cup. The main thing is that, again, he's a winner."
However, City have lost three straight Premier League games, and concerns have emerged over the midfield setup and the ease with which opponents are scoring. Maresca has deployed Elliot Anderson as a lone pivot, with Rayan Cherki as an advanced 10 and Fernandez wider on the right, a system that has left the midfield exposed.
Bouaddi's Case for Inclusion
Ayyoub Bouaddi, 19, impressed in the Champions League win at Porto when he started in place of Anderson, and produced an accomplished second-half display against Paris Saint-Germain in Manchester. Despite limited Premier League minutes, with only two top-flight starts and one full 90 minutes, Bouaddi has shown he can offer the insurance City need in midfield.
Fernandez, out of form, is the obvious candidate to drop, given Anderson has been City's best midfielder and Cherki can turn games. But dropping a club-record signing would be a big call for Maresca, who has placed significant trust in the Argentine.
Defensive Woes and Midfield Openness
Simon Bajkowski, the MEN's Chief City writer, highlighted the scale of the problem on the Talking City podcast: "There is defensive howler after defensive howler and it's at the point where it can't just be on the players, it has to be something to do with the way they are set up that it is asking too much of people for error after error to be made every single game."
"They have conceded 17 in the last eight games and Maresca used the phrase silly goals at Leipzig. I think 12 or 13 of those 17 have been individual errors, glaringly bad," Bajkowski added.
He noted the midfield's openness: "At the minute, Anderson is a six and is not being able to do everything he is asked to do. Cherki is playing as a 10 well in front of him and Fernandez is playing as a seven almost, to the right side of the midfield, and no-one is helping Anderson. There is no strength or solidity in midfield."
Bajkowski concluded: "There is enough that has gone wrong in the midfield to put Bouaddi in and see how it looks." The defeat at Nottingham Forest, where the space exploited by the opposition left a fragile defence exposed, should serve as a wake-up call that a change is required.
