Fernandinho Absence Comes at Right Time for Man City, but Injuries a Concern

After limping off during the second half of Manchester City’s win over Aston Villa at the weekend, Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho has been ruled out for up to two weeks and could miss the Premier League match with Tottenham on October 18, according to Mark Ogden writing in the Telegraph.

It means he misses Brazil’s next round of international friendly matches, which sees them play Argentina in Beijing and Japan in Singapore. City will now focus their efforts on aiding his recovery with an intensive period of treatment at the Etihad Campus, the club’s new training centre, with Ogden suggesting he is 50-50 to be fit for the Spurs match in 11 days' time.

City face a tough run of fixtures immediately following the international break, with four matches in 11 days starting with Tottenham at home, before a trip to Moscow to face CSKA in a behind-closed-doors encounter. City then return to face West Ham at Upton Park four days later, before a midweek League Cup tie with Newcastle.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

The City manager, Manuel Pellegrini, will be desperately hoping Fernandinho makes a full recovery and is involved in at least some of those games, with his energy and drive key to his sides’ style of play.

Since his £30 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2013, Fernandinho has impressed, producing a series of excellent displays during his first full season. Much of Yaya Toure’s success last season, where he scored 23 goals in all competitions, can be accredited to Fernandinho’s arrival, with the Brazilian’s energy and willingness to cover the Ivorian’s runs allowing Toure confidence and freedom to attack.

A poor World Cup which culminated in being substituted during Brazil’s crushing 7-1 defeat to Germany saw him face criticism, but his displays for City so far this season, including excellent performances against Arsenal and Bayern Munich, have allayed fears his club form may suffer as a result.

Fernandinho’s injury, though, is part of a worrying trend that threatens to hamper City’s bid to defend the title they worked so hard to win in May. The season is only a matter of weeks old, yet they have had to deal with a string in injuries already.

Fernando, City’s other Brazilian midfielder signed from Porto in the summer, missed a run of six games after he injured his groin in the defeat to Stoke, and Stevan Jovetic has only just returned from a hamstring strain. Add to that the absence of Samir Nasri, who has undergone surgery for a groin problem, and City, already, have faced a damaging set of injuries.

Fernando has impressed during his appearances so far, and his defensive capabilities and discipline in midfield would have been hugely important in the matches against Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Roma, in particular.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Jovetic’s high-intensity game is always valuable, whether from the bench or as a starter, thanks to the directness and willingness to create he invariably shows. His style is different to any of City’s other attacking players, with his creativity sorely missing in recent weeks.

And Nasri has been one of City’s most important attacking forces since Pellegrini arrived and City will be keen to see him return quickly.

The club managed to overcome injuries last season and secure the Premier League title, but the threat of Chelsea, who have improved significantly after a superb summer transfer window, means there less room for error this time. City need to be at their very best to finish above Jose Mourinho’s side. Reducing their injury list is a must.

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 were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.