Manchester City’s midfield depth faces first Champions League test at Porto
A heavily rebuilt Manchester City side begins its European campaign at Porto with coach Enzo Maresca managing an unusually deep midfield group.
Manchester City will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign away to Porto on Tuesday, with the club’s extensive summer recruitment placing midfield depth at the centre of the pre-match discussion.
CBS Sports reported that City spent nearly US$600 million on transfer fees during the summer, including a reported US$169 million deadline-day move for Enzo Fernández from Chelsea. The spending followed Pep Guardiola’s departure from the touchline and Rodri’s reported exit from the squad.
Elliot Anderson has started each of City’s opening three matches in midfield, while Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Cherki have also featured regularly. Fernández and Iliman Ndiaye started in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Coventry City, according to the report.
The range of options gives Maresca scope to alter the side as domestic and European fixtures accumulate. The coach has described Anderson as capable of playing both as a holding midfielder and an attacking midfielder, while also saying Cherki can drop deeper to help control the tempo.
City have begun the season with three wins, but CBS Sports characterised Maresca’s line-up changes as part of an ongoing process of assembling the team. Porto, returning to the competition as Portuguese domestic champions after several less successful seasons, will host the match at Estádio do Dragão.
