At The Heart Of It

It has long been thought that the key to football success is to win the so called "midfield battle". Title winning sides have often been built upon strength in central midfield, from Graeme Souness in Liverpool's all conquering 1980s team to Roy Keane and Paul Scholes in Alex Ferguson's Premier League titans and the holding midfield berth adopted by Claude Makélélé in Chelsea's pragmatic but fearsome championship winning team under José Mourinho. With the well documented struggles of Manchester United this season, along with the lavish praise of Manchester City's swashbuckling home form, the role of the centre midfielder is taking on an even greater level of importance to previous campaigns. At the heart of City's current successes lies the diminutive summer signing, the Brazilian Fernandinho.

The cut-throat nature of management along with the financial riches of top flight football has seen greater focus placed upon the tactical side of football preparation. The typical 4-4-2 formation employed two "box to box" midfielders with both an eye for goal also capable of breaking up opposition attacks. When Rafael Benitez moved to Liverpool in 2004, he brought with him the 4-2-3-1 formation and in doing so placed greater emphasis on packing the midfield with two holding midfielders and an attacking midfielder to support the lone striker. With the recent domination of Spanish football, the importance of having three central midfielders intent not only on dominating possession, but also providing security for any two of the three to support the attack at any time, has become a fashionable option for managers up and down the country.

It is this idea of "security" which is accentuated in a typical midfield in English football. Chelsea's David Luiz, traditionally a central defender has recently played further forward in a deep midfield position in order to allow players such as Willian, Hazard and Oscar, long viewed as luxury players, greater license to attack and carve open defences. This is not unique to the Premier League. Oxford United in League Two for instance played central defender Johnny Mullins in midfield in the weekend's goalless draw against relegation battlers Portsmouth, giving Danny Rose and Nicky Wroe the freedom to focus their efforts on the offensive side of their game.

Under David Moyes, Manchester United have continued to struggle with the long standing toxic that has been the central midfield berth. Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley are all very good players. The latter in particular however, is emphasising how dynamic a position modern midfield is and that finding a position within a position is key to success in this role. Cleverley is decent in the tackle, has a strong range of passing and a degree of athleticism. He does not however possess the guile and craft to play as a support striker, nor the intelligence or discipline to be the deep lying midfield commander. If Manchester United are to return to the halcyon days of fortress Old Trafford, Moyes must solve the problem of having too many "all-round" players and not having a blend of strong players and skilful footballers at the heart of the pitch. A glance to the success of Liverpool's trio of Lucas Leiva as a defensive general and Phillipe Coutinho as a creator both complimented by the sheer athleticism of Jordan Henderson only serves to emphasise the importance of midfield balance. It is easy to see why Alex Ferguson toyed with the idea of employing Wayne Rooney in this position.

In contrast, local rivals Manchester City appear to be thriving under new manager Manuel Pellegrini. Whilst Yaya Touré has been lauded with a plethora of superlatives, and rightfully so, for consistent displays of ruthless ability and domination of defences, it is his midfield partner Fernandinho who is at the heart of such fortunes. Upon his £30 million move from Ukraine over summer, pundit Jamie Redknapp stated that he could prove to be the signing of the season and the steady Brazilian is quietly proving that belief to be in good faith. A master of simple football, Fernandinho has been at the fulcrum of City's ability to bulldoze through teams, particularly at the Etihad, where his security has allowed for Yaya Touré, David Silva and a reinvigorated Samir Nasri to do the damage in the opponent's half.

Where Fernandinho has been a success however, is in his reinvention of the perpetually evolving holding midfield role. For the visit of high flying Arsenal in December, Fernandinho gave a master class performance which included two goals and complete domination of a midfield which included the inform Aaron Ramsey and record signing Mesut Özil. This ability to provide goals and assists as well as invaluable security puts the 28 year old at an advantage to rival holding midfielders such as Lucas, John Obi Mikel and Mathieu Flamini. The sheer stamina of the player was put the test over a grueling Christmas where he appeared in each City fixture, culminating in a victory over Swansea city where the Welsh team employed an extra man in midfield.

The outcome of such an interesting title race remains a long way from being decided. Chelsea and Arsenal have both impressed immensely in spells this season whilst Liverpool, Everton and a Manchester United team who refuse to be written off will have significant contributions in the second half of the season. If Manchester City are to be successful and lift the trophy in May, the importance of the number 25 in a team of superstars cannot be underestimated. With a potential league title under his belt, Fernandinho will be aiming to parade himself as the epitome of a modern midfielder on the international stage for his home country at the 2014 World Cup. If his domestic performances are anything to go by, Brazil could be strong contenders to claim the crown on home soil capping a fantastic season for the boy from Londrina.