Fernandinho was one of Manchester City’s most trusted players under manager Pep Guardiola over the years. The 40-year-old Brazilian veteran played 383 games for City, winning five Premier League titles.
Of course, much of that success came under City’s legendary manager Guardiola. The Brazilian made 244 appearances under his tutelage, captaining the team on multiple occasions and scoring 12 goals and providing 17 assists.
Towards the end of his playing days at the Etihad Stadium, Fernandinho saw a dramatic change in his position.
Fernandinho’s position change at Man City
Of course, Fernandinho was a midfielder for most of his career. The former City captain, who wore a City shirt, tended to operate as a number six, although he played in a more advanced role.
That being said, 232 games were played on a mid-major base.
However, Guardiola changed his role in the team, making the Brazilian star, who has 53 caps, a centre-back. It coincided with Aymeric Laporte’s injury and City needed a reliable player at the back in his absence. Fernandinho made a total of 45 appearances for City, becoming a reliable presence at the back.
Back in 2020, he spoke to Sky Sports about his move to centre-back. He explained that it was “a little strange to adapt” to the new role due to the space behind the last line at first, but that he was eventually “able to do it”.
He was full of praise for Guardiola’s impressive transition from midfield to defence.
He said that the Spaniard “gives us the necessary information about the opponent and of course about ourselves”, which definitely helped his defensive movements.
Fernandinho is not the only City star to have benefited from Guardiola’s close man-management, particularly when it comes to operating in his new position.
Pep’s modern-day Fernandinho
One of the things that really stands out about Guardiola as a manager is his ability to adapt. It could be flexibility during a match, switching systems to show great innovation, or requiring players to operate in new positions.
Well, one person who has benefited from that kind of adaptability is Mateus Nunez. The Portugal international is a midfielder by trade, just like Fernandinho. However, under Guardiola he has played in many games as a right-back.
He has played literally everywhere in a City shirt and has just celebrated 100 years in the game. He has made 101 appearances so far, 27 of them at right-back, more than anywhere else.
Nunez was also more productive there than in any other position on the pitch. As a right-back, he has scored 2 goals and provided 5 assists. As this goal against Burnley at the start of the season showed, he provides a real threat by getting into the penalty box.
The Portugal international, who has 16 caps for his country, is a player that Guardiola highly rates. Back in 2023, City’s manager described him as “one of the best players in the world”, which is a real accolade.
Well, the stats certainly show how good a player Nunez has become as a fullback. Last season, he was one of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League, completing an average of 1.24 key passes per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 25% of full-backs in the Premier League.
Nunez vs. PL Fullback (24/25) | ||
|---|---|---|
State (per 90) | number | percentile |
key pass | 1.24 | 75th place |
pass into the penalty area | 1.4 | 90th place |
assist | 0.32 | 99th |
progressive carry | 3.39 | 94th place |
Long pass success rate% | 65.4% | 93rd place |
Statistics from FBref | ||
This is definitely a move that can be considered a success. Guardiola has definitely revolutionized Nunez’s career by changing his position, making him a formidable right-back who is a new presence in midfield and a goal threat.
Guardiola, like he did with Fernandinho, has a knack for converting players’ positions, whether it’s when needed or as a tactical change. Nunes is certainly the latest success story.