Is Fernandinho destined for PFA Player of the Year?

The PFA player of the year is the pinnacle solo award for those in the Premier League. Yet, it is typically won by a striker or winger of the title winning side. This year, one player who is not known for scoring goals is well in the running. Fernandinho of Man City has been proven to be a pivotal player for Pep Guardiola’s men, and his value cannot be underestimated.

The undervalued role of Fernandinho

Whilst he is not known for his goal scoring ability, creating clear changes or driving runs towards the box, the role that Fernandinho plays for Man City cannot be understated. He is the linchpin of all that Man City are, creating their flowing attacks from a deep-lying play-maker role, whilst sweeping in-front of the defence to block out opposition attacks before they can get into dangerous positions.

Fernandinho’s value was most sorely felt over the festive period, where he suffered a thigh problem. During his period out, Man City lost back to back games at home to Crystal Palace and away to Leicester City. The balance in their team had gone, with teams finding it a lot easier to score past Ederson with out their chief defensive linchpin guarding the City back line.

Both John Stones and Fabian Delph were deployed to try and deputise for Fernandinho, and both came up short. The Brazilian was ushered back into the Starting XI as soon as possible, and has since prompted City back to winning ways in emphatic style.

The Dutch wall of Liverpool

Currently leading the running for the PFA Player of the Year is Liverpool man Virgil Van Dijk, who is as short as 11/10 in some places for the award. Without a doubt, the player who eventually wins the award is likely to come from the team who wins the League. Yet, the main argument for Fernandinho winning it over Van Dijk centres on Fernandinho’s sheer importance to his side.

It could be argued that without Fernandinho, City would be a completely different team due to his importance for both starting attacks and cleaning up in front of the defence. However, for Van Dijk, whilst an exemplary defending enjoying a wonderful season, it could be argued that he isn’t as pivotal to his side as the 33-year-old Brazilian. The likes of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip are more than capable understudies, whilst the emerging Joe Gomez is already seen as a guaranteed starter.

Conversely, the struggles Man City faced when trying to replace and replicate Fernandinho’s role during his absence, only served to highlight his team’s dependency on him. A dependency that is not often placed on a player of Fernandinho’s position.

Whilst there are current doubts over the future of captain Vincent Kompany, the need to replace Fernandinho is becoming a large concern for Man City, as they are very concerned about the lack of viable alternatives. And if Man City are struggling to find a replacement, even with all the financial backing you could need, the player’s importance to the Citizens cannot be underestimated, and rewarding him (whether Man City win the league or not) with a PFA Player of the Year reward, would be a just achievement for a fine player.

Featured Image Credit: “Outside the Etihad Stadium” (CC BY 2.0) by daniel0685