Dinho is the one making the Blues motor says Goater
KEVIN de Bruyne is odds-on to be Player of the Year, and David Silva is not far behind him in the running.
But for City hero Shaun Goater, the key man is the third member of their brilliant midfield triumvirate, the unsung Fernandinho.
Goater is a regular observer at the Etihad Stadium in his role as a radio pundit, and when asked to name City’s key player this season on XS Manchester’s ‘Forever Blue’ show, he did not hesitate.
“We always say De Bruyne,” he said. “But when we have pressure, and the ball is lost, and other teams try to counter, it is Fernandinho who is breaking that up – so we are allowed to keep that sustained pressure.
“When we build the ball up from defence to get the ball into De Bruyne and Silva, that link is Fernandinho.
“When teams have the ball and are trying to link and start, it’s Fernandinho. He is the unsung hero.”
And while De Bruyne and Silva have been world-class this season, the ex-Blues striker says that Fernandinho is harder to replace.
“He got a knock in one game and I sent out a tweet saying ‘We can’t afford for him to be injured’,” he said.
“Yes, Gundogan can go in there and be smooth on the ball, and move it and pivot it, but he can’t break up the play like Fernandinho.
“Yaya can go in there and pass, and move the ball, but he can’t break up the play.
“So we need a player that can pass it, keep it, and transition it from one side to the other.
“He is the key point of that triangle between Ederson and the centre-back on either side.”
Pep Guardiola is beyond criticism for most City fans after his team’s remarkable progress this season.
But Goater feels there is one area where the Blues boss can get better – by calming his touchline antics. Guardiola wears his heart on his sleeve, and his disappointment at Raheem Sterling’s miss at Burnley was evident.
Nineties hero Goater feels the City boss can put undue pressure on his players.
“Pep’s emotions are always there to be seen, and you see it more when a player misses a chance, or when we win a game in the last minute,” he said.
“If I have one criticism of Pep, that’s where he can improve, because he influences the crowd. We all jump on it and say he should have scored it.
“As players you are told to be calm at all times, don’t get too flustered – if you score, don’t get too excited, if you concede don’t get too down.
“That’s a situation where if you miss a sitter, you don’t get too down about it, but as a manager he showed the reaction of being really down about that chance.
“If he showed a more calm persona, then some of the fans are not influenced, and that anxiety doesn’t come immediately.”