It seems that Enzo Maresca keeps getting one Manchester City midfield decision wrong

It seems that Enzo Maresca keeps getting one Manchester City midfield decision wrong Enzo Maresca got his man when Manchester City signed Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea on the deadline day of the summer transfer window. Maresca was eager to bring the Argentinian midfielder to the Etihad given the close relationship the pair formed when working together at Chelsea. Enzo Fernandez has made a strong impression during his time at City. However, on other occasions it isn’t clear what role in the City midfield Enzo Fernandez is tasked with playing. When Manchester City were in the midst of a seven-match winning run in the Premier League, the role of Enzo Fernandez was masked by victories. Now that City have suffered consecutive losses to Brighton and Aston Villa, you do wonder if Maresca has a blind spot in regards to Enzo Fernandez. The Manchester City midfield against Brighton was disjointed until changes were made. Enzo Maresca started what looked to be the ideal Manchester City midfield mix against Brighton. Ayyoub Bouaddi, Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson started in midfield. The expectation was that the trio would have the ability to control the midfield battle against Fabian Hurzeler’s side. However, that didn’t occur in the 55 minutes that the trio played as City were beaten 1-0 by Brighton . Elliot Anderson did what he does best against Brighton. The England international was all over the pitch and he was easily Manchester City’s man-of-the-match against Brighton. However, the issue was that Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez looked to be playing in roles that didn’t suit them. Bouaddi was more advanced in midfield and was also tasked with leading Manchester City’s press with Erling Haaland. This role didn’t suit him. Enzo Fernandez sat deeper in midfield and failed to impact Saturday’s match. You do wonder what the thought process was with Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez playing the roles they did against Brighton. The roles that both players played didn’t suit them. That was to City’s detriment until Ayyoub Bouaddi was replaced by Rayan Cherki in the 55th minute. Enzo Fernandez was replaced by Nico O’Reilly in the 64th minute. It did seem like Bouaddi was playing in an advanced midfield role to cover the issues in Enzo Fernandez’s game out of possession. If that was the case, it highlights a potential issue with the constant selection of Enzo Fernandez at this stage. Far too often it has been Rayan Cherki who has been sacrificed or Ayyoub Bouaddi over Enzo Fernandez. Throughout this season, it has often been Rayan Cherki who has been sacrificed when games aren’t going Manchester City’s way. On the weekend, it was Ayyoub Bouaddi. On occasions, Enzo Fernandez has had less of an impact on games than Cherki. However, it does seem like Enzo Maresca is reluctant to take Fernandez off before Cherki or Bouaddi. That has been constant this season. Yes, Enzo Fernandez came off in the 64th minute against Brighton. But you did feel that Ayyoub Bouaddi had a role to play in midfield over Enzo Fernandez to give Manchester City the control and creativity they needed against Fabian Hurzeler’s side. But it wasn’t to be. Enzo Fernandez has made a strong start to his Manchester City career. He hasn’t been poor by any stretch. However, it does feel at times that Enzo Maresca is still trying to find the best midfield role for Fernandez to play in his team. It does seem that eventually Maresca will find it. However, at the minute it does seem like Maresca has a blind spot in regards to Enzo Fernandez and it may be costing Manchester City their ideal midfield mix at this moment in time.