Enzo Fernandez: should Maresca change his role before dropping him?

Enzo Fernandez’s place is under scrutiny after three successive Manchester City league defeats. But before Enzo Maresca changes the personnel against Fulham, there is a tactical question to answer: would changing Fernandez’s role, or the structure around him, give City better balance?

Enzo Fernandez at Man City: the numbers behind the slump

City won their first seven league games under Maresca, a club-record start. Then they lost at Aston Villa, 1-0 at home to Brighton and 3-1 at Nottingham Forest.

They are now third, six points behind leaders Arsenal, with Brighton also above them. BBC Sport points out that City have conceded 13 league goals in ten games, their highest at this stage since 2008-09.

Individual errors are a big part of it. But the bigger question is about the shape in front of the defence.

The role problem

According to the Manchester Evening News, Maresca has been using Elliot Anderson as the defensive midfielder, with Rayan Cherki further forward and Fernandez operating towards the right.

On paper, City’s 3-1-6 shape leaves four players behind the ball: three defenders and Anderson. In practice, it is often fewer. BBC Sport’s analysis shows how. When City lose the ball, Anderson is often drawn out wide to press, while Fernandez stays high on the far side. That leaves the middle of the pitch exposed, and City can be left with only two or three players behind the ball.

Brighton and Forest both punished it on the break.

Maresca sees it differently. After Forest, he said: “You concede transitions when you lose the ball, and when you don’t win duels.” That is fair. But when the midfield is that stretched, every lost ball feels like a crisis.

What Argentina showed

Fernandez played the full 90 minutes for Argentina on Friday night as they lost 2-1 to Uruguay at La Bombonera, in their first match since Lionel Messi’s international retirement.

He completed 128 passes and had more touches than anyone on the pitch, according to the match stats. Those numbers show involvement, not a fix for City’s problems. TyC Sports gave him six out of ten, and Olé said he lost track of Maxi Araújo at the corner for Uruguay’s second goal.

What matters more is the structure around him. Argentina did not play Fernandez deeper. Olé described him as the most advanced of their three midfielders, with Alexis Mac Allister and Exequiel Palacios alongside him.

The difference was cover. For Argentina, Fernandez had two midfielders around him. At City, Anderson is often on his own.

Two options for Maresca

The first option is to move Fernandez deeper and play him next to Anderson. City would gain a second passer to take the ball off the centre-backs and a second body in front of the defence when possession is lost.

The trade-off is that City would lose some of Fernandez’s late runs into the box, and the move would only work if he stays disciplined. Standing deeper does not help if he still drifts forward every time City attack.

The second option is Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 19-year-old would play alongside Anderson as a second holding midfielder, giving City Argentina-style cover without changing Fernandez’s attacking role.

That would most likely cost Cherki his place, as it did when Maresca brought Bouaddi on at half-time against PSG. City would be sturdier but lose creativity, and Bouaddi is still new to the Premier League.

Many supporters would go further. In a Manchester Evening News poll, 74 per cent of respondents said Fernandez should be dropped for Fulham, while 18 per cent said he should keep his place.

Verdict: a role change deserves a look first

A deeper role deserves consideration before Fernandez is dropped. It keeps a £125m player in the side, gives Anderson the partner he has been missing and does not ask a teenager to fix everything.

It is not guaranteed to work. Fernandez has to accept the defensive side of the job, and City will lose some attacking threat. But it tackles the problem the numbers point to: too few players behind the ball when City lose it.

Fernandez still has Argentina’s friendly against Costa Rica at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba on Tuesday. Then Maresca must decide for Fulham at the Etihad on Saturday at 12.30pm: change Fernandez’s role, bring in Bouaddi, or leave him out.

For more on the midfield debate, read our Ayyoub Bouaddi analysis and follow the latest on our football hub.

Enzo Fernandez: FAQ

What position does Enzo Fernandez play at Man City?
He has been used towards the right of midfield, with Elliot Anderson as the lone defensive midfielder and Rayan Cherki further forward.

Did Enzo Fernandez play deeper for Argentina?
No. Olé described him as the most advanced of Argentina’s three midfielders against Uruguay. The key difference was that he had Alexis Mac Allister and Exequiel Palacios alongside him.