Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has praised Fernandinho’s attacking instincts following his sides 3-1 victory over Sevilla.
City produced one of their best European performances as they overcame the Spaniards to reach the knockout stages with two games to spare.
The Chilean bossed picked out The Brazilian midfielder because of his pace and finishing ability after he and Raheem Sterling put the Premier League leaders 2-0 up inside 11 minutes.
Eyebrows were raised when Pellegrini named the in-form Kevin De Bruyne on the bench and deployed Fernando in a deep role to allow both Fernandinho and Yaya Toure the license to get further forward.
On the performance of Fernandinho, he said: “I allowed him and Yaya to go forward so they started more in the Sevilla half. I think Fernandinho is very dangerous because he has a lot of pace and he arrives in the other box.
“It was one of the reasons we dominated in midfield because we had Fernandinho and Yaya both going forward and just Fernando staying back.
Despite Benoit Tremoulinas pulling a goal back for Sevilla, Fernandinho’s 11th minute strike to double City’s lead proved insurmountable for Unai Emery’s side who know face an uphill battle to qualify themselves.
However, this performance from the ex-Shakhtar man shows City’s strength in depth and that the team are starting look my savvy in Europe are appearing somewhat naive in recent seasons.
