The jury may still be out on Fernandinho among Manchester City supporters but the Brazilian anchorman has been identified as their key threat by Tottenham midfielder Sandro ahead of Sunday’s showdown at the Etihad.
City boast a perfect home record in the league though they sit a lowly eighth having 14 dropped points on the road.
Despite City having a squad containing the likes of Yaya Toure and the league’s joint-top scorer Sergio Aguero, it is Fernandinho who the visitors are looking to shackle according to his compatriot Sandro.
“He’s a very good player, very quick in midfield. He can play defence and also play forward,” Sandro told Spurs’ official website.
“He’s also great on the ball. We have to push him, put him under pressure and look after him – and not just him. City have lots of good players, but so do we and we will give everything.”
A win for the Blues will see them leapfrog their opponents who currently sit one place above them in seventh.
Both sides went into the international break on the back of disappointing 1-0 defeats, Tottenham losing at home to Newcastle United and City coming unstuck at Sunderland.
Costel Pantilimon looks set to continue in goal despite Joe Hart’s impressive performance against Germany for England on Tuesday.
“I think at this moment that maybe Joe needs a rest but we still have a lot of trust in Joe and he’s still a very important player in our squad,” said manager Manuel Pellegrini.
“I am absolutely sure that this will be an important thing for him to come back to his performances of the last two years.”
Image courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
