The summer signing of 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi from Lille was presented at Manchester City as a major success for sporting director Hugo Viana. After Rodri left for Barcelona, City paid a substantial premium to rule out a loan back to Lille, convinced that the prodigy was ready for the starting line-up immediately.
Bouaddi's first appearances justified that confidence. He impressed after replacing Elliot Anderson away to Porto in the Champions League and earned public praise from Enzo Maresca for his maturity and composure. His second-half introduction against Paris Saint-Germain delighted the crowd: it was one of the team's best 45-minute spells at the Etihad Stadium that season and convinced supporters that he should be a regular starter.
Tactical disagreements followed, however. Maresca was unhappy with Bouaddi's performance against Ipswich Town and substituted him at half-time in the cup tie against Brighton. When he finally played him alongside Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez, he pushed Bouaddi too far forward, almost level with the Argentine. As a result, City's defensive midfield was left exposed again, leading to fatal gaps in transition.
After defeat to Nottingham Forest, the Italian categorically rejected the suggestion that Anderson had been overburdened with defensive work, instead blaming individual errors in duels and when possession was lost.
The situation leaves Maresca in a difficult position before the international break.
Supporters want Bouaddi used in his natural position as an out-and-out No 6 to fill the gap in defensive midfield. Bringing the Moroccan into the starting line-up would require benching Enzo Fernandez, signed from Chelsea for a record £125 million specifically for Maresca's system. If the manager gives in to the pressure after the break, it would be seen as a belated correction of an obvious mistake; if he continues to overlook the midfielder, every setback will fuel accusations of stubbornness and an inability to balance the squad.
