Balotelli is still a Blue
MARIO Balotelli was at his brilliant best on Instagram after City’s 3-1 derby day win against United at the Etihad.
Goals from David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan ensured victory for Pep Guardiola’s side in their bid to retain the Premier League title for the first time in their history.
And no-one seemed more delighted than former City striker Balotelli, who took to social media to reaffirm his allegiance to the Blue side of Manchester.
“Once a blue always a blue!!!,” the 28-year-old commented on a picture of Aguero posted on City’s Instagram page.
Balotelli scored in City’s most memorable win against United – a 6-1 victory at Old Trafford in 2011 – before revealing the message ‘Why Always Me?’ under his shirt.
It was a game that David Silva says shifted the balance of power in the city.
“United commanded a lot of respect when I first came here,” the midfielder said last week.
“But I think that has changed from when we won there 6-1 and the mentality changed a little bit that day.” THE 44 passes that led to Ilkay Gundogan’s clincher in the derby had neutrals and those of a blue persuasion in Manchester purring on Sunday night.
It was one minute and 55 seconds of liquid football that epitomised what Pep Guardiola has brought to the Etihad as the ball went back and forth, left to right, before ending with Gundogan beating David de Gea to put City 3-1 up.
But perhaps the most important man in the move was the one who set it in motion in the first place. As United looked to get forward it was Fernandinho, again, who got a toe in against Romelu Lukaku and ensured City took control of the ball.
The Brazilian was again at his disruptive best on derby day. It was the 33-year-old who dispossessed Jesse Lingard to spark the move for City’s second goal through Sergio Aguero, as well as setting the wheels in motion for the marvellous third.
His importance cannot be overstated, but the concern for Guardiola will be just how he replaces him.
Fernandinho’s role in this City side is like the base of a cheesecake – while the rest of the ingredients offer the style and the taste, it simply wouldn’t work as well without the substance.
But he will turn 34 at the end of this season and the legs are beginning to creak. City can’t keep relying on him to provide the steel next to the silk.
Only one outfield player has played more Premier League minutes than Fernandinho this season and that is Aymeric Laporte, who has played every minute. Fernandinho was withdrawn 11 minutes from time against Southampton and 16 minutes from the end at Cardiff, but that is all the rest he has had in the league.
In the Champions League he has missed just 14 minutes of action, again withdrawn early in the demolition of Shakhtar Donetsk, his former club, last week.
While most of Guardiola’s stars have been rested or rotated somewhere along the line, Fernandinho remains in place, a constant presence of pressure in the engine room, recovering possession and allowing City to build again, time after time. But like all engines, if you ask too much of them they will begin to wear and, if you’re really unfortunate, break down. There’s no warning light on just yet but Guardiola has to consider his options for keeping Fernandinho fresh as autumn turns to winter and beyond. Last week it was Fabian Delph that replaced the Brazilian against Southampton and Shakthar. Relieved from his left-back duties the England international is the closest to a Fernandinho clone in Guardiola’s squad, but he is still a level or two below the highest standards set. At the Cardiff City Stadium back in September it was John Stones who came on to replace Fernandinho and Guardiola is convinced the centre-back could have a future as the defensive midfielder in his side as well. The problem is Stones is beginning to form a defensive partnership with Aymeric Laporte that could go down in the Premier League history as one of the best. Can you really break that up to Tyrone Marshall