Enzo Maresca openly admitted that Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday was not as smooth as fans might have hoped. The team’s uneven display prompted former England striker Alan Shearer, who was co‑commentating on Prime Video, to label the performance as "weak". City eventually secured the win, but they did not dominate the match until the final stages. Still, Porto never seemed poised to overturn the deficit.
The Portuguese side was reduced to merely scraping at chances, failing to produce a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. This defensive resilience was largely thanks to City’s exceptionally balanced midfield, which stifled any meaningful threat.
The temptation for many observers is to pit Maresca’s side against the classic Guardiola‑era City sides that revolved around Rodri’s presence in the middle of the park. Those earlier teams were renowned for a fluid, almost mechanistic passing rhythm where every ball seemed to find its intended destination. That brand of flawless, almost sterile football appears to have faded.
Maresca, however, is not in a rush to reinvent the wheel. "Slowly, slowly," he reminded viewers on Tuesday, fully aware that a swathe of pundits expected Pep Guardiola’s departure to tilt the power balance in Manchester. The reality, according to Maresca, is that the transition will be gradual, and there is no need for panic. Beyond the surface‑level analysis, the win in Portugal offers several encouraging signs that City are still on an upward trajectory.
Securing an away victory in the Champions League, and doing so while keeping a clean sheet, is never a trivial feat. Yet perhaps the most compelling storyline from the match was the debut of teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
While Erling Haaland’s two goals naturally attracted headlines, Bouaddi’s performance was arguably the true breakthrough. Haaland himself praised the youngster after the final whistle, telling club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak that City had uncovered a "gem" in Bouaddi.
He noted the teenager’s composure in training and highlighted how his contribution in Porto was "really good". The £86 million summer acquisition from Lille arrived in Manchester with a reputation for quiet confidence. He is not arrogant or flamboyant; instead, he exudes a measured calm that is rare for a player still in his teenage years.
In his first start for City, Bouaddi displayed a level of composure and technical proficiency that reminded many of Rodri’s own style. "He never panicked," Maresca remarked on Prime Video, adding that Bouaddi’s performance was "unbelievable". The youngster’s confidence was evident in the way he executed subtle shimmies and feints to change direction while in possession, as well as his controlled tempo when distributing the ball. His teammates quickly placed trust in him, with fellow midfielder Rayan Cherki frequently using Bouaddi as the outlet for quick one‑touch exchanges throughout the night.
Statistically, Bouaddi’s passing accuracy against Porto was a staggering 98%, surpassing even Rodri’s 96% accuracy in Barcelona’s 5‑1 triumph over Feyenoord a day later. While this is a tiny sample size and does not yet warrant direct comparison, it does suggest that the new midfield unit can at least begin to fill the void left by a player many believed to be irreplaceable. Rodri remains a unique talent, especially after his ACL injury in 2024 limited his ability to feature in three‑day‑a‑week rotations.
Nevertheless, Maresca now has a trio of midfielders capable of sharing the workload: Bouaddi, Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernández. Anderson, who came off the bench against Porto, posted possession statistics that rivalled Rodri’s.
This is no surprise, given his outstanding season with Nottingham Forest where he outperformed the 30‑year‑old Spaniard across most key metrics. Anderson’s calmness on the ball and his ability to dictate tempo make him the hinge around which Maresca’s midfield plan revolves. Adding Enzo Fernández to the mix provides a blend of creativity, tenacity and tactical intelligence. Fernández is not a metronomic holding player; instead, he offers a more versatile profile that can drift into a number‑10 role, contributing goals and assists that have been missing from City’s midfield since the departure of Ilkay Gündoğan.
His presence mirrors the role Gündoğan once played under Pep, a role that has been difficult to replace. Collectively, the three players present a spectrum of skills: Bouaddi naturally fits the No 6, a deep‑lying playmaker; Anderson and Fernández are more comfortable as box‑to‑box No 8s, though all three possess the mobility to interchange positions as the game demands. This flexibility is crucial for Maresca’s fluid, position‑switching system, where the midfield must adapt to both defensive solidity and attacking impetus.
Financially, the club’s £326 million outlay on these players is substantial, but it does not guarantee immediate trophies. The true value lies in the chemistry that develops over time. So far, the early signs are promising: Bouaddi’s confidence, Anderson’s composure, and Fernández’s dynamism suggest a midfield capable of supporting the attacking firepower of Haaland, Grealish and others. The next major test arrives this weekend at Old Trafford, where City will face Manchester United in a rivalry that always sparks intense midfield battles.
Both sides have overhauled their central areas, and the outcome will likely hinge on which team can impose its rhythm and control the tempo. Maresca is expected to start Anderson in a holding role, with Fernández positioned just ahead of him. Bouaddi may either start or provide an impact off the bench, depending on the tactical needs of the match. While it is still early days for the teenage prodigy, his potential to become a complete midfield asset is evident.
In summary, Manchester City’s recent midfield restructuring demonstrates that the club is not hopelessly dependent on Rodri. The combination of a disciplined deep‑lying midfielder in Bouaddi, a reliable box‑to‑box engine in Anderson, and a creative spark in Fernández offers a balanced, adaptable unit that can sustain the team’s high standards. If these players continue to develop together, City may find themselves with a midfield that is not only capable of replicating past successes but also of forging a new identity under Maresca’s patient guidance.