Time Running out for Fernando to Turn Form Around as Man City Pay for His Woes

There has been much to admire about Manchester City’s transfer policy in recent seasons.  The arrival of Txiki Begiristain, the club’s director of football, in October of 2012 ushered in a new period of well-planned, swiftly executed transfer windows, where targets are identified early and landed efficiently.

Last summer, Manuel Pellegrini’s first in charge, the club began to reduce the wage bill which had swelled immediately after ADUG’s 2008 takeover of the club led by Sheikh Mansour. There had been huge investment in the first-team squad in an attempt to bridge the gap between City and the established elite, and it was unsustainable. Lower wages and more savvy transfer fees became the order of the day.

The likes of Alvaro Negredo, Jesus Navas and Martin Demichelis were signed—excellent players, but hardly in the Carlos Tevez or Sergio Aguero bracket, which is where the club had shopped before.

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But the signings worked. City won two trophies and played a wonderful brand of football, and Begiristain’s transfer strategy was quite rightly lauded. The majority of the signings were in place well before the start of the season, allowing Pellegrini maximum time to integrate them into his squad.

They may not have been the kind of names that got the City fans overexcited, but they had a significant impact.

But then came the UEFA-imposed spending sanctions that were placed on the club in light of their failure to comply with FFP rules, a situation which saw City cutting their cloth still further during this summer’s transfer period. And the jury remains out on some of the deals.

Eliaquim Mangala looks capable of great things if he can improve his concentration and technique in possession, but at £32 million, he will have to improve significantly to prove his worth.

At £12 million, his former Porto teammate Fernando was far cheaper, but he, too, has failed to settle. In fact, Mangala has shown frequent flashes of quality interspersed by moments of madness, whereas Fernando has been largely underwhelming.

Two Man of the Match displays in the first two games of the season suggested City had found themselves a bargain, but then an injury in the defeat to Stoke saw him on the sidelines for three league games, and he has struggled ever since.

Barring a superb performance in the Stadio Olimpico in City’s glorious 2-0 win over Roma—the club’s finest European night in recent memory—Fernando has been poor. He appears technically deficient, unable, it seems, to move the ball quickly due to poor footwork.

Add in a number of glaringly obvious mistakes—moments of madness which have seen him dispossessed too easily or give the ball away carelessly—and his role in the side becomes increasingly uncertain.

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There needs to be a huge improvement. Fernando was brought in to evolve the team, to offer an alternative formation against certain sides. An out-and-out defensive midfielder whose remit was simply to stifle the opposition, he would allow for a three-man midfield in tight games against the best sides. As yet, his form means, when everyone is fit, it’s unlikely he’d be a starter.

There are faint signs of a decent player, though. He certainly has a knack, at times, of eliminating the threat of opposition midfielders. His tackling is solid, and he spots danger early, allowing him to get into a position to make an interception.

But, overall, it’s been a disappointing start. His early promise has turned into a difficult situation. The fans are wary of him, and there is growing unrest at his play. He needs to prove he is better than Javi Garcia, the much-maligned Spanish midfielder who he replaced in the summer, and tea time on Saturday at Stamford Bridge for City's huge match with Chelsea would be a fine place to start.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard