A goal up and a man light, there is a specific type of person required when the heat of a derby tumble dryer is dialled up that little bit higher. Certainly not a shrinker.
Probably the sort of person who might goad opposition supporters by cupping his ears and pulling a frankly ridiculously stupid face in a World Cup semi-final. That guy. The sort who craves and feeds off rival disdain.
The sort of guy who, after a 22-minute masterclass following Erling Haaland‘s disputed winner, might grin his way off the Old Trafford pitch when substituted. The sort of guy who will enjoy playing the villain at Premier League stadiums all year.
He may have joined on deadline day for a British record fee but Sunday was when Enzo Fernandez arrived as a Manchester City player, the exact personality Enzo Maresca needed to engineer an away victory that can serve as a springboard for a new project given the circumstances.
It wasn’t necessarily the buying of two free kicks in quick succession just inside Manchester United territory but those symbolised the management of the lead. It wasn’t intercepting Diogo Dalot‘s errant pass and driving City forward 25 yards, ending in a foul, but that symbolised a determination.
It wasn’t riling up Harry Maguire during a mild flashpoint, nor was it almost bending in a second goal from outside the box. It was all of these things and more that made Fernandez such an integral aspect of a win that saw Maresca dancing down the touchline like a certain Portuguese all those years ago.
There is a specific type of person required when the heat of a derby tumble dryer is dialled up – and that person is Enzo Fernandez
At the time that the fourth official’s board beamed Fernandez’s number – 17, formerly Kevin De Bruyne’s – nobody had covered more ground than his 10.2kilometres. This was a shift alongside the commanding Elliot Anderson, that was non-negotiable if City were to emerge with a positive result. Nobody broke up play more than Fernandez and, given United’s penchant for fast breaks through central areas, City’s back four are under significantly more stress without that.
They are the little things that add up to £125million and that fee buys you somebody who can do everything, with the Argentine’s role before Phil Foden’s sending off more attacking and more lateral. As evidenced by the assist for Haaland in Porto on Tuesday, he fancies that side of the box-to-box role.
‘Look at our midfield, if there is something they like to do, it is to fight,’ Haaland said with a twinkle down the Old Trafford tunnel. He meant the collective, although his body language suggested a clear focus on one of them specifically. We all know who that is.
And for Fernandez, this has been a rewarding first fortnight in sky blue, while the animosity among those in royal blue shows no real sign of abating. There has been amusement in City circles over the past few days at noises emanating from Chelsea about two written transfer requests handed in by Fernandez to force a move and the accusation that he told the hierarchy that his relationships with team-mates had deteriorated, seemingly beyond repair.
A gentle bemusement as to why, some time after the transfer window closed, the 25-year-old continues to be such a hot topic of discussion. Especially after Xabi Alonso had praised his attitude and application after the mid-August deadline to complete a £120m deal passed without incident.
It has been a summer – nay, a year – of blue on blue in this respect. Acrimony between Chelsea and City over Maresca, for starters.
Then the saga attached to the failed attempt to lure Bunny Shaw away from City amid a reported £1m contract on the table. And to cap it, losing their best player to City as well. This after asking Hugo Viana to walk away from a deal to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille during negotiations for Fernandez and suggesting a swap of Nico O’Reilly for Malo Gusto – suggestions that are denied by Chelsea, who lost last season’s FA Cup final to Antoine Semenyo’s clever flick.
Chelsea – who in April announced the highest pre-tax losses (£262.4m) in Premier League history – have made it known that they could have pulled the plug on Fernandez’s move north after their own pursuit of Monaco’s Lamine Camara collapsed.
Fernandez, who clashed with Harry Maguire, was described as ‘unbelievable’ by his manager, Enzo Maresca
They didn’t and that is to Maresca’s benefit. ‘Enzo was unbelievable,’ he said at Old Trafford, Fernandez right in the middle of the winner after standing in an offside position, a contentious moment.
City could have avoided the broader contention with Chelsea, having watched Fernandez extensively while at River Plate before he joined Benfica in 2022. So it is not only Maresca’s whim that has demanded he join.
What they have in him is this innate desire to win at all costs. There has been an argument that since the Treble campaign, City have lacked that bit of extra competitive spirit, the darker arts. The sort of player who burrows under the skin of those who love to hate him.
