- Fernandinho has revealed the tactical pact he made with Pep Guardiola in 2020, dividing duties to ensure the manager focused on the pitch while the Brazilian managed the dressing room.
- The City legend has also addressed the 2021 Champions League final defeat to Chelsea, supporting Guardiola’s controversial decision to omit a natural holding midfielder.
- Fernandinho’s latest insights on leadership could resonate with the current squad’s battle to overhaul Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
Fernandinho has reflected on the process that surrounded his integration into the role of Manchester City captain ahead of the 2020/21 season.
The Brazilian icon, who departed the Etihad Stadium in 2022 to return to Athletico Paranaense, remains one of the most influential figures of the Pep Guardiola era and one of the most well-respected figures in Manchester City’s history.
His tenure as captain followed the exit of David Silva and coincided with a period of immense transition as Manchester City reclaimed the Premier League title from Liverpool, sparking a historic run of four consecutive English top-flight crowns.
Now, as the club faces a fresh leadership evolution following the confirmed departure of Bernardo Silva at the end of this season, Fernandinho’s approach to the armband has resurfaced.
Manchester City’s current landscape mirrors the environment Fernandinho once navigated in terms of reclaiming their place at the very top of English football, with the squad recently securing a record fourth consecutive FA Cup Final appearance after a gritty 2-1 win over Southampton on Saturday.
With Pep Guardiola’s side sitting three points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, the importance of veteran leadership has never been more critical to the club’s hunt for a second domestic Treble as new and younger names integrate into the must-win approach at the club.
“I take care of the players” – Fernandinho’s pact
Speaking exclusively to MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, Fernandinho has reflected on being handed the captain’s armband at Manchester City, and the honest conversations that were held with manager Pep Guardiola in the process.
“We’d agreed at the beginning of the [2020/21] season how it would work. I told him [Pep Guardiola], ‘You take care of the tactics, and I take care of the players’,” the legendary Brazilian midfielder revealed.
“My duty was just to make the players understand how big Manchester City was and try to get the club back on track. We had lost the league [to Liverpool] and then the Champions League. I was really honest with them.”
The Brazilian also looked back on City’s 2021 UEFA Champions League final defeat to Premier League rivals Chelsea, highlighted mainly by Guardiola’s decision to start Ilkay Gundogan ahead of either of his go-to defensive midfielders in the season in Rodri and Fernandinho.
“I never discussed that [decision] with Pep. I always understand, he’s paid to make decisions. Sometimes they can be wrong, sometimes, most of the time, it’s not, but he’s paid for that,” Fernandinho insisted.
“So that time he thought, the best way to beat Chelsea was to play Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan], and obviously we support him. It’s life, it’s football, and two years later [in Istanbul], Gundo played the final and won the final. So I was so happy for them.”
What comes next for Fernandinho in football?
The timing of Fernandinho’s reflections has intensified speculation regarding a potential return to the Etihad Stadium, or at least at the very top of European football.
While he recently completed a FIFA diploma in club management, rumours of a coaching role under Pep Guardiola gathered pace following last summer’s recruitment of Kolo Toure and Pep Lijnders to the backroom staff.
Manchester City handed Pep Lijnders contract update amid Pep Guardiola future talks
However, Fernandinho has since cooled immediate talk of a return to Manchester City, noting he is “enjoying life in Brazil,” but notably left the door ajar for “next season.”
