Fernandinho vs Man City’s £53m target – Stats show that Guardiola should sign the latter

According to reports, Manchester City have received a boost in their pursuit of Napoli star Jorginho as Manchester United have cooled their interest in the holding midfielder.

Pep Guardiola is reportedly looking to make minor changes to his record-breaking squad, with a versatile forward and a holding midfielder amongst his targets. The arrival of a holding midfielder means that Fernandinho would be replaced.

In City’s title success this season, Fernandinho has played a crucial role. He has been the heartbeat of the City team which has ripped apart defences at will. He has been very good at moving forward, providing quality through balls. The Brazilian has kept things simple, which has helped City dominate teams in the Premier League.

For those who don’t know about Jorginho, the midfielder has earned rave reviews for his displays at Napoli this season. His footballing intelligence is clear to see and his ability to pick a pass has been second to nothing.

At Naples, Jorginho usually operates in a deep-lying midfield role, recycles possession and helps construct attacks. With City now chasing Jorginho, let us compare the stats between the Napoli man and Fernandinho.

Jorginho’s special attribute is his passing and has made 2489 successful passes with a pass completion rate of 89%. Fernandinho, on the other hand, has made 2295 successful passes with 90% pass completion rate.

At Napoli, Jorginho is often deployed as a deep-lying midfielder by Maurizio Sarri. Sitting at the base of the midfield, he has made 40 key passes. Fernandinho has just made 13 key passes. Jorginho also has 4 assists, which is one more than the Brazilian’s 3.

In the defensive aspect of the game, Jorginho has won 43 tackles compared to Fernandinho’s 30. Shielding the defence and providing the perfect base for the attackers to express themselves freely is the main job of a defensive midfielder and Jorginho excels in it. In terms of interceptions, the Napoli man has made 48 in comparison to the City midfielder’s 40.

 

In terms of attacking contributions, Fernandinho has 3 goals under his belt whereas Jorginho has two. Fernandinho also has a bit of recklessness attached to his game as he has picked up 7 yellow cards in comparison to Jorginho’s 5.

Overall, Jorginho is a more rounded midfielder as compared to Fernandinho. The Man City midfielder has enjoyed a brilliant season, helping Pep win his first Premier League title. Jorignho, on the other hand, has also had a fantastic season with Napoli but Sarri’s team has failed to end Juventus’ dominance.

If City are to get a deal over the line, they have to pay £53m as that is his rate. However, every penny will be worth it as Jorginho is a top holding midfielder and will certainly improve Pep’s team next season.

Stats Courtesy: Squawka