Manchester City

Benjamin Mendy respects Pep Guardiola's tactical acumen, but he's acknowledged he has annoyed his manager more than once, particularly over his social media activity.

Mendy spoke to FourFourTwo (h/t Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News) about his sometimes tumultuous relationship with the Manchester City manager:

"Pep is just unbelievable. Tactically he's amazing, but it's also the way he makes you feel. He's the manager but he can be your friend, too. Not a friend like you would go out with all the time, obviously, but you can talk openly and he'll make you feel good. You aren't scared to approach him like some managers – he makes you so relaxed.

That's good for a player. The way he speaks about football, you feel it - you can see how much he loves it and you want to fight for him. After he's done, you're ready. What you do well he isn't going to tell you necessarily, but the small things you aren't doing well? He'll definitely let you know – 'you are going to train, train, train.'"

While Mendy is appreciative of Guardiola's approach to football, he also detailed how the 49-year-old put his foot down about the player's activities online:

"He told me to calm down. He said it's normal to have a life on social media, but not too much. Some people are always waiting for you to make a mistake – and even if it’s not that bad, it can become a really big thing.

There was a tweet where I wrote I was in Hong Kong, and then I got a call from the club asking, 'Where are you?!' I was in Barcelona recovering! It was a joke but people went crazy. Sometimes I didn't think when I was tweeting, but then it goes deeper. Now I think a bit more."

Guardiola has found taming Mendy difficult since spending £52 million to acquire the left-back from AS Monaco in 2017. At the time it was a world-record fee for a defender, one subsequently broken by Liverpool's deal for Virgil van Dijk in 2018 and then the $95.7 million transfer of Leicester City's Harry Maguire to Manchester United last summer.

There have been moments when the 25-year-old looked worth the fee and more. His pace, power and eye for a pass have made him a lethal outlet going forward on the left side of Guardiola's progressive team.

Benjamin Mendy completed more passes in the final third (21) than the entire Crystal Palace team combined (17) in the first half at Selhurst Park.

Unpacking in the opposition half. 💼 pic.twitter.com/UVpvuQgbjM

— Squawka (@Squawka) April 14, 2019

Benjamin Mendy certainly has the trophy cabinet of a £52m defender. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ZjzY3Fe7bl

— Squawka (@Squawka) June 6, 2019

Sadly, a run of persistent injuries has played as big a part in stunting Mendy's City career as any questions about his temperament. The Frenchman has dealt with cruciate ligament problems, knee surgery and thigh injuries, according to Transfermarkt.

Guardiola appeared content to move on from Mendy's fragility and issues away from the pitch this season. City brought Angelino back from PSV Eindhoven, while the manager continued to trust converted midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko as his primary left-back.

Meanwhile, Mendy has made just 15 starts in all competitions. Of those starts, 11 of those have come in the Premier League, despite the Russian being out for almost two months earlier this season recovering from knee surgery.

Mendy will likely get more chances following Zinchenko being shown a red card for accumulating two yellows during City's 2-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Zinchenko Red Card 😳🚨 pic.twitter.com/3ym1HcJy7h

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 2, 2020

Zinchenko is now set to serve a suspension during Sunday's home match against West Ham, while Angelino was sent on loan to Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig on deadline day of the January transfer window, per BBC Sport's Simon Stone.

The move continues Angelino's protracted struggle to establish himself with the Citizens:

2012: Signs for Man City
2013: Joins Man City
2015: Loaned to New York City FC
2017: Loaned to Mallorca
2018: Loaned to NAC Breda
2018: Signs for PSV
2019: Re-signs for Man City
2020: Loaned to RB Leipzig

Angeliño is on the move again. pic.twitter.com/HeXdPE9gn0

— William Hill (@WilliamHill) January 31, 2020

Suddenly Mendy's path is clear to finally becoming somebody Guardiola can rely on. The talent is there, but Guardiola's patience is surely limited with a mercurial defender who has courted more controversy than plaudits.

The Spaniard has moved players around to cover gaps in defence, most notably having holding midfielder Fernandinho fill in for injured centre-back Aymeric Laporte. Yet the reshuffling hasn't worked, with City conceding 29 goals through 25 league games this season.

The onus will be on Mendy to prove he has heeded Guardiola's warning and is ready to focus fully on football. Having true defenders add athleticism to an ailing unit is the only way City will win major silverware this season.

Fernandinho has warned Manchester City could be dragged into a battle to stay in the Premier League's top four if they do not turn around their form quickly.

The Sky Blues lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, their sixth league defeat of the season, the same amount they suffered in the last two full campaigns combined:

Spurs win the big game 🏈 pic.twitter.com/Nb8PRCK9ow

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 2, 2020

As a result, they are 22 points behind leaders Liverpool, and their chances of winning a third consecutive title are over:

Where is your team in the #PL table? pic.twitter.com/WDaCCNXMzp

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 3, 2020

Pep Guardiola's side are still 12 points clear of fifth-placed Spurs, though, and they could be forgiven for turning their attentions to the cup competitions they still have a chance of winning: the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the UEFA Champions League.

However, Fernandinho has said City cannot take their eye off the ball in the Premier League or else their Champions League future could be in danger, per Perform (h/t AS):

"We have to focus on the Premier League too, not only on the other competitions. If we don't carry on we can be dropped out the top four, so we need to qualify for the Champions League next season. We will focus on the cups and the Champions League too, but we are professionals. We need to show our character until the end of the season and finish the league in the best possible way."

City are back in action on Sunday when they host West Ham United in the Premier League.

The Hammers are miserably out of form. They are winless in six games, so if City struggle to beat them at the Etihad Stadium, there will be concerns.

City then have a weekend off before a trip to Leicester City, which is followed by the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 26.

If the Sky Blues can go all the way in Europe's biggest club competition this season and win their first Champions League, it will more than make up for losing the Premier League title.

Beating Real will be a big challenge, though.

The Madrid giants have won four of the last six Champions Leagues, three of them under Zinedine Zidane, who looks to have got Real close to their dominant best again this term.

Los Blancos are top of La Liga and have not lost a match in any competition since October, a run of 21 games unbeaten.     

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has conceded the Premier League title to Liverpool, calling the Reds "unstoppable" and saying the Sky Blues will turn their focus to other competitions.

Sunday's 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur leaves the defending champions 22 points behind the leaders with just 13 matches left.

Per Sami Mokbel of MailOnline, Guardiola nodded when asked if the title race was over after the match, and he then talked about the club's new targets: "They are far away so they are unstoppable. They have a lot of points, we have dropped points quite similar to today. Our targets are to win the remaining competitions and qualify for the Champions League next season."

City are still active in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, where they'll face Aston Villa in the final. The Sky Blues will also take on La Liga giants Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages. That competition is regarded as a priority for the team.

Guardiola's men have not been in great form of late, with one win in their last three Premier League outings.

They've been held scoreless in their last two matches across all competitions, despite having plenty of shooting chances:

180 minutes | 31 shots | 0 goals

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌

Man City have failed to score in back-to-back games for the first time under Pep Guardiola. pic.twitter.com/QY2EPOMtt1

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 2, 2020

Title favourites Liverpool have won 24 of their 25 Premier League matches so far. They're on course for a historic run and could become the division's second-ever unbeaten team. City's points record of 100 is also within reach.

City were in control against Spurs on Sunday until Oleksandr Zinchenko was sent off for a second bookable offence. They had failed to grab the lead before they went down to 10 men, and Spurs punished them immediately, scoring via Steven Bergwijn and Heung-Min Son:

Guardiola came in for some criticism after the match, although Joe.co.uk's Nooruddean Choudry believes he had it too easy:

Pep Guardiola has had an easy ride in the media this season. There's no way City should be so far behind Liverpool with all their resources and the incredible infrastructure we read so much about

— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) February 2, 2020

The manager was not upset with his players after the match, even though he kept them in the dressing room for over 45 minutes: "No, I was not angry. Normally I don't like it if we don't play good, if we don't run or we don't fight. Never when we lose do I stay away from my players because I know them. But we lost the game so we talked about how to move forward and keep going. There's a lot of months to play."

City will host West Ham United on Sunday before their winter break. Their next two matches will be against Leicester City in the Premier League and Real in the Champions League.  

After Ilkay Gundogan missed from the spot in Sunday's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, Pep Guardiola said he lets his Manchester City players decide who takes penalties.

The English champions dominated for long spells but failed to take a 40th-minute lead when the Germany international's penalty was saved by Hugo Lloris.

Speaking to the BBC (h/t Alex Shaw of Goal), the manager explained after the match it's not him who decides which individual takes a penalty.

"They decide," Guardiola said. "If we scored, it would have been better maybe, but in the second half, we started well and created chances to score and didn't do that. Until [Oleksandr] Zinchenko was sent off, the rest was OK."

The high-octane game saw Jose Mourinho's men on the back foot before half-time, and City's penalty was awarded by VAR in controversial circumstances.

Sergio Aguero was tackled by Serge Aurier in the penalty area, but referee Mike Dean signalled he believed the Spurs full-back had made contact with the ball.

Play was allowed to continue, with Spurs pushing forward, but VAR's intervention advised Dean to stop the game and award a penalty.

The length of time it took to make the call surprised the crowd and players, with both managers appearing perplexed on the touchline. When the penalty was finally taken, Gundogan's effort was kept out.

Controversy continued as Lloris attempted to gather the rebound after his save, only to be beaten to the ball by Raheem Sterling, with the forward falling to the ground after the Frenchman's challenge.

Once again, VAR came into play, but a second penalty was not awarded. Sterling was also not booked for simulation, which would have resulted in his sending off for a second yellow.

A red was shown for City in the second half when Zinchenko was given a second yellow for a blatant charge. The moment handed the initiative to Spurs, who quickly scored through debutant Steven Bergwijn.

The 63rd-minute opener was followed by Son's winner with 19 minutes remaining.

City are now 22 points behind leaders Liverpool in second place after suffering their sixth league defeat of the campaign. The Reds have the chance to be crowned champions as early as March 21 when they play Crystal Palace.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has defended star forward Raheem Sterling amid his recent run without scoring.

The forward enjoyed a remarkable start to the campaign and took his goalscoring tally to 20 with a brace against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December.

However, since that 3-2 defeat, the forward has failed to find the net in his past seven games, with the ruthless edge he's managed to find in recent seasons deserting him. Ahead of the Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Guardiola said he has no concerns about the England international, per Simon Mullock of the Sunday Mirror:

"Raheem is one of the only guys I’ve met in my career with a recovery quicker than I’ve ever seen before. It’s incredible. He could play every three days and of course the more he plays regularly the better and better he feels.

"Raheem defended brilliantly in the last game (against Manchester United) and had clear chances that no other player can create for themselves. Unfortunately he could not score a goal - but he was there, so I am more than delighted with his performance against United.

"The people with statistics with goals and assists say it has been a month but I am not judging Raheem just for that. It is important but not the only thing."

As Guardiola noted, in City's 1-0 loss to Manchester United on Wednesday, Sterling was presented with a number of opportunities. However, when it came to the critical moment, the 25-year-old was hesitant with his finishing:

The wait goes on for a goal against #MUFC for Sterling!

How costly could this prove for #MCFC?

Follow live updates and clips as #MCFC host #MUFC in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg live on Sky Sports Football here 👉 https://t.co/mAlNT4yXhM pic.twitter.com/bEdVTNbNfA

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 29, 2020

Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail thinks the miss against the Red Devils epitomised a challenging spell for Sterling:

Raheem Sterling's last two months in one clip

— Jack Gaughan (@Jack_Gaughan) January 29, 2020

Although he's struggling to find the net, it isn't a shock that Guardiola is at ease with the winger, who's been one of the best players in the Premier League in recent years.

Whether on the left or right flank, Sterling can terrify full-backs with his shift in pace and close control. Under Guardiola, he's also developed a penchant for getting into excellent positions, meaning he often caps off some of City's sweeping attacking moves.

Per Sam Lee of The Athletic, for one reason or another, those moments aren't emerging as much for Sterling:

Sterling is always going to be in good positions because he's always alert to where he should be and where the ball is going to go, but the execution when he gets there is just off at the moment. Confidence? One-on-ones always been an area of improvement at the best of times

— Sam Lee (@SamLee) January 29, 2020

Guardiola will be hopeful Sterling can rediscover that edge soon, though. While the Premier League title is effectively gone, with Liverpool racing clear, City will be hopeful of challenging for the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup, while they are also in the EFL Cup final.

As one of their most productive attacking players, Sterling will be key if City are to finish the season with silverware. Given the focus on him pre-match, it will be intriguing to see how he performs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, especially if a big chance comes his way.

Manchester City slipped further behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race in January, but they remained in the hunt for the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. 

The Citizens picked up 2-1 and 6-1 wins over Everton and Aston Villa, respectively, in their first two league matches of 2020, but they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace.

The stalemate continued their trend of failing to win more than three Premier League matches in succession this season and allowed Liverpool to extend their lead to 19 points.

In the FA Cup, City breezed into the fifth round as they beat Port Vale 4-1 and Fulham 4-0.

Pep Guardiola's side will also have the chance to win the Carabao Cup for the third season running as they triumphed 3-2 on aggregate over Manchester United in the semi-finals.

       

Manchester City Statistical Leaders in Premier League

Goals: Sergio Aguero 16, Raheem Sterling 11, Gabriel Jesus 9, Kevin De Bruyne 7, Riyad Mahrez 7, Bernardo Silva 5

Assists: Kevin De Bruyne 15, David Silva 7, Riyad Mahrez 7, Bernardo Silva 4, Gabriel Jesus 4

Passes: Rodrigo 1,553, Fernandinho 1,541, Kevin De Bruyne 1,265, Ilkay Gundogan 1,247, Kyle Walker 1,179

Stats via the official Premier League website and WhoScored.com.

             

Aguero Sets Premier League Record

• 4 starts (1 sub), 7 goals, 1 assist (all competitions)
• 18 shots (Premier League, Carabao Cup)
• Highest Pass Success Percentage: 90.9 vs. Manchester United (1-0 defeat)

                

It was a month to remember for Sergio Aguero, who had a hand in eight goals for City in January.

The striker bagged his first goal of 2020 in the FA Cup win over Port Vale, before notching a fine hat-trick in the 6-1 demolition of Villa:

In doing so, he overtook Alan Shearer's Premier League hat-trick record. The Argentinian had pulled level with the Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers legend on 11 hat-tricks in February last year, and his haul against Villa took him clear on 12.

His efforts also took him beyond Thierry Henry's 175 Premier League goals, making him the highest-scoring foreign player.

Aguero followed up his hat-trick with a brace against Palace—the first of which took him to 250 goals for City—and the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Sheffield United.

That took his tally to 180 in the Premier League goalscoring charts, ahead of Frank Lampard's 177. Only Shearer (260), Wayne Rooney (208) and Andy Cole (187) are now above the 31-year-old.

                        

Jesus Starts 2020 in Style

• 4 starts (2 subs), 5 goals, 2 assists (all competitions)
• 16 shots (Premier League, Carabao Cup)
• Highest Pass Success Percentage: 87.1 vs. Aston Villa (6-1 win)

                     

With City playing eight matches in January, Jesus saw plenty of time on the pitch, with Guardiola rotating him and Aguero up front.

The Brazilian was almost as productive as his counterpart, with five goals and two assists to his name.

He notched both goals as City beat Everton 2-1 on New Year's Day:

Aguero naturally stole the headlines against Villa, but Jesus also performed well in their only start together of the month with a goal and an assist.

He laid on another assist with a superb ball for Aguero's first goal against Palace, and he found the net twice more in their FA Cup win over Fulham.

The 22-year-old needs five more goals to equal his previous best tally of 21 in all competitions, which he set last season.

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne has criticised his side's performance in their 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday.

City progressed to the final 3-2 on aggregate, having won 3-1 in the first leg of the semi-final at Old Trafford, but De Bruyne was concerned that they did not take their chances.

He told Sky Sports (h/t Goal's Jonathan Smith):

"I can't really comprehend how we lost this game. We were way too wasteful today, we have to learn from this.

"We got sloppy. The goal, we don't clear the lines really good and out of nothing they scored. We need to learn from the mistakes."

United won on the night thanks to Nemanja Matic's first-half effort, ensuring a tense end to the game for the Citizens until the Serb was sent off for a second bookable offence, which dented the Red Devils' hopes of completing a comeback.

Sergio Aguero was repeatedly denied by David De Gea, though, and Raheem Sterling failed to hit the target when presented with a gilt-edged chance:

Pep Guardiola's side were more clinical in the first leg, as Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and an Andreas Pereira own goal sent them on their way before Marcus Rashford pulled one back:

However, even in that game, City could easily have been more than three goals ahead before Rashford grabbed his, such was their dominance.

The Sky Blues will be overwhelming favourites in the final against Aston Villa, whom they beat 6-1 earlier in January, but their profligacy is understandably a worry with Real Madrid awaiting in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

De Bruyne's team-mate Ilkay Gundogan said the clashes with United were a "great test" for their two-legged tie with Los Blancos and that Guardiola had told them the match would be "an experience we have to survive and overcome."

City have scored 65 goals in the Premier League this season, nine more than leaders Liverpool, so finding the net isn't normally a problem for them. To progress past Madrid they can ill afford not to convert any chances that come their way, though, particularly as the Spanish giants have shipped just 13 La Liga goals in 24 games this season.

The English champions' defence is an even more pressing concern. They were unable to see out the first leg with a clean sheet, and their defending for Matic's goal wasn't exactly convincing, either.

The Citizens have conceded 27 goals in 24 league matches this season—having shipped just 23 in the whole of the last campaign—so they could be vulnerable against an attack comprising Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema.

Manchester City were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday, but it was not enough to prevent Pep Guardiola's side winning 3-2 on aggregate to secure a place in the final against Aston Villa.

The hosts went into the game leading 3-1 from the first leg and ought to have extended their advantage in a dominant opening spell but were denied by David De Gea in the United goal.

Nemanja Matic scored for the Red Devils on 35 minutes to give the visitors hope of achieving a famous comeback. The midfielder swept a sweet finish past Claudio Bravo from Fred's free-kick from the left.

City dominated the second half after a nervy opening 10 minutes but saw both Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero waste chances to put the game out of the visitors' reach. United were reduced to 10 men on 76 minutes when Matic was sent off for a second bookable offence, allowing City to see out the game and book their place in the final.

Guardiola made two changes to his starting XI from the first leg, bringing in Joao Cancelo and Aguero for Benjamin Mendy and Fernandinho. United also made changes, with Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Matic and Anthony Martial all starting.

City began the game quickly and tested De Gea twice in the opening 10 minutes. Ilkay Gundogan floated in a cross for Aguero to stoop and head goalwards, but he could not beat a diving De Gea, who parried the ball clear.

De Gea was then called into action immediately afterwards, sticking out a boot to block a snapshot from Riyad Mahrez at his near post.

City continued to attack and had a penalty claim minutes later when Sterling went down under pressure from Maguire, but referee Andre Marriner waved away the hosts' appeals.

The chances continued to flow for Guardiola's side in the opening 30 minutes. De Gea tipped another effort from Aguero over his crossbar, while Maguire just managed to slide in and deny Sterling when he had been sent through on goal by a sublime Kevin De Bruyne pass.

United's goal came against the run of play after Jesse Lingard was fouled outside the penalty area by Rodri. Bernardo Silva attempted to clear Fred's free-kick, but his header fell kindly for Matic to sweep home his first goal since Boxing Day 2018, per Opta.

Guardiola's side thought they had equalised three minutes before half-time. De Bruyne's low cross in from the left was converted by Sterling at close range, only to be correctly chalked out for offside.

United replaced Mason Greenwood with Daniel James at half-time, and the winger won an early foul to set up a chance for the Red Devils. Again Fred floated the ball into the penalty area, but Maguire could only head over the crossbar.

Sterling wasted a glorious chance to restore City's two-goal advantage just before the hour after being sent clean through by De Bruyne. The England international delayed his shot and ended up blazing an effort over the bar.

De Gea was called upon again to deny a fierce effort from Kyle Walker, while Aguero went close with a shot that flew into the side-netting.

United still needed another goal to force the game to penalties but saw their hopes of progressing fade when Matic picked up his second yellow card for a cynical foul on Gundogan as he tried to break.

The holders ought to have sealed it late on when Aguero curled the ball past De Gea after being sent through by Cancelo, but again the offside flag went up and the goal was ruled out.

It was a valiant effort from United at their neighbours' home, but City did just enough to progress to their third consecutive EFL Cup final.

             

What's Next?

Manchester United return to action on Saturday with a Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford. Manchester City play away at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Manchester City have confirmed that Leroy Sane has returned to full training after being sidelined since August with a knee injury:

Back in full training 💪

🏃‍♂️ @LeroySane19
🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/KNILnyjjIk

— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 28, 2020

Sane suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in the 2019 Community Shield against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium and subsequently underwent surgery.

He was back in training with Manchester City on Tuesday as the team were put through their paces ahead of Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester United.

Yet manager Pep Guardiola may have to wait to hand Sane his first competitive appearance of the season, as he is not expected to return to first-team action for at least a couple of weeks, according to Stuart Brennan at the Manchester Evening News.

Sane's return is still a boost for Manchester City for the second half of the season. The German is a dangerous attacker who has already enjoyed great success at the club since joining from Schalke in 2016:

Leroy Sané's Premier League career by numbers:

🔵 89 games
🔵 28 assists
🔵 25 goals
🔵 2 titles
🔵 1 Young Player of the Year

Happy 24th birthday. pic.twitter.com/dPHF1pIy8o

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 11, 2020

Manchester City's hopes of retaining their Premier League title look over, as they are a distant 16 points behind Liverpool and have played a game extra, but they remain in contention in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Sane's return to fitness may also reignite interest in his services from Bayern Munich. The German champions were reportedly interested in signing him last summer before he suffered his knee injury.

Bayern's chief executive officer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has refused to rule out a move for Sane when talking to German journalist Manuel Bonke (h/t the Mirror's Alex Smith).

He said: "If we are still interested in principle, which I do not rule out, we will first talk to the club in order to create a friendly atmosphere of conversation."

Sane's time at Manchester City has not always been smooth. He has been dropped from the starting XI at times by Guardiola, raising doubts over his long-term future at the club.

Manchester City announced on Tuesday that midfielder Fernandinho has signed a one-year contract extension at the Etihad Stadium. The new deal runs until the summer of 2021:

🔥2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣🔥

Another year of @fernandinho!!!

🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/rrEEKTHC5x

— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 28, 2020

The 34-year-old joined Manchester City from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 and has become a key figure for Pep Guardiola's side, winning three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and four League Cups.

Fernandinho took to social media to express his gratitude at extending his stay with the Premier League champions:

I never expected to build such a meaningful relationship with the Club and the fans, but it has happened. KEEP PUSHING. WE ARE CITY. UNTIL THE END.  #CMONCITY

— Fernandinho (@fernandinho) January 28, 2020

The Brazil international is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders around but has also been used in central defence this season to cover for injuries to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones.

Squawka Football highlighted his defensive contribution:

Fernandinho has made more tackles (37) and blocks (11) than any other Manchester City player this season.

Signs on for one more year. 💪 pic.twitter.com/ljxPSfvZUr

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 28, 2020

Guardiola spoke to Sky Sports about Fernandinho's "deserved" new contract and praised him for his performances in defence this season:

"What he has done with the problems we had - I am so happy to have him"

Pep Guardiola hails Fernandinho after the Man City man penned a new one-year contract with the club

More: https://t.co/F4ymslRDMT pic.twitter.com/xbBTZh7AIC

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 28, 2020

Txiki Begiristain, Manchester City's director of football, said Fernandinho's experience will benefit the club's young players, per Rob Pollard at the club's official website.

“This new deal reflects Fernandinho's quality and commitment. He is not only a first-class professional and one of the best players in world football, he is a fantastic person who leads by example every single day.

“We have a talented young squad – but making sure they are supplemented by senior players of Fernandinho’s ilk is of paramount importance. What he brings in terms of leadership and professionalism is valued by everyone at the football club."

Fernandinho is heading towards the end of his career but remains a vital presence for City. His versatility has been important for Guardiola's men this season and is another reason why the club have been keen to tie him down for another year.