When Enzo Maresca described Manchester City's 2-0 Champions League victory over Porto on Tuesday as "complicated," he was not wrong. The performance had rough edges, and Alan Shearer went as far as calling the side "weak" during co-commentary on Prime Video. Yet City never genuinely threatened to surrender the result — and statistically, Porto were given almost nothing, registering not a single shot on target all evening.

Bouaddi steals the headlines

Much of the credit belongs to City's midfield, where 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi announced himself in emphatic fashion on his first start for the club. The £86 million summer arrival from Lille was calm, measured, and — critically — never panicked. Maresca was effusive in his praise on Prime Video:

"He was never in panic... the performance from him was unbelievable."

Even Erling Haaland, who scored twice to secure the points, reserved his highest compliment for the teenager. "I told the chairman [Khaldoon Al Mubarak], we've got a gem there," Haaland said after the final whistle. "He did a really good game. He's been amazing in training."

Bouaddi's passing accuracy against Porto stood at 98 percent — marginally higher than the 96 percent Rodri posted for Barcelona in their 5-1 demolition of Feyenoord the following evening. It is a small sample, and direct comparisons to Rodri risk placing an unfair burden on any young player. Nico Gonzalez knows that better than most. But the composure and technical range Bouaddi showed are qualities worth noting in their own right.

Anderson and Fernandez complete the picture

Bouaddi is only one part of Maresca's redesigned engine room. Elliot Anderson, who outperformed Rodri across most statistical metrics while at Nottingham Forest last season, came off the bench against Porto and was the picture of composure — dominant in possession, alert without the ball, and a stabilising influence on everything around him. He is the hinge on which Maresca's system pivots.

Enzo Fernandez adds a different dimension entirely. Where Bouaddi sits naturally as a No 6 and Anderson operates as a No 8, Fernandez offers the flexibility to push into a No 10 role and contribute a genuine goal threat from midfield — a void that has existed at City since Ilkay Gündogan's departure under Pep Guardiola.

Together, the three cost a combined £326 million. That figure demands scrutiny, but what cannot be bought is the speed with which all three have adapted to Maresca's positionally fluid system. Connections between players usually take time; at City this summer, they appear to be forming quickly.

Old Trafford awaits

The sharpest test of this new midfield order arrives on Sunday, when Manchester City travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in a derby that rarely lacks intensity. Maresca is expected to deploy Anderson in the holding role with Fernandez operating just ahead of him, while Bouaddi is likely to feature — at least initially — from the bench.

It is still early in the season, and Rodri — rehabilitated and back pulling strings for Barcelona — remains one of the finest midfielders of his generation. His physical limitations in the final seasons of his City career, following an ACL injury in 2024, meant he could not sustain the demands of playing every three days. His successors, it seems, can. Manchester City may not need Rodri after all.