Matheus Nunes Is Not a Flop—He’s a Secret Weapon Guardiola Refuses to Deploy

Manchester City paid £53m for Matheus Nunes in 2023 and have handed him exactly 631 Premier League minutes since. That is not a transfer fee for a squad player. That is the price of a statement signing. Yet Guardiola has buried him so deep that Nunes has become football’s equivalent of a ghost—spotted in glimpses, never fully seen. This is not poor recruitment. This is tactical malpractice.

The Midfield That No Longer Works

City’s midfield has lost its edge. Rodri is irreplaceable, but the supporting cast—Kovacic, Silva, De Bruyne ageing—offers neither the raw penetration nor the defensive bite of 2022-23. Kovacic averages 0.8 progressive carries per 90 this season, down from 1.4 at Chelsea. De Bruyne’s pressing intensity has dipped by 12%. Into this gap steps Nunes, a player who at Sporting averaged 2.1 dribbles per game and 1.8 tackles—combining ball progression with defensive graft. He is the missing hybrid.

Why Nunes Solves Three Problems at Once

  • Transition defence: Nunes ranks in the top 15% of midfielders for pressures per 90 (22.4) among Premier League players with over 500 minutes. City have conceded six goals from fast breaks this season—more than any top-six side. Nunes’ recovery pace would plug that hole.
  • Carrying through lines: No City midfielder except Rodri averages more than 1.2 progressive carries per match. Nunes at Sporting averaged 1.8. He is the only player in the squad who can beat a man and then release Foden or Haaland without slowing the attack.
  • Physical presence: At 6’0” and powerfully built, Nunes offers the box-to-box strength that Bernardo Silva (5’8”) and Kovacic (5’10”) lack. Against Brentford’s physical midfield, City lost 14 of 22 aerial duels. Nunes wins 56% of his headed contests.

The Excuses Don’t Hold Up

The counter-argument: Nunes has looked tentative when he has played. He misplaced 12 passes against Newcastle, lost possession four times. But that is a symptom of a player given cameos in dead rubbers, not rhythm. Guardiola once persisted with a struggling Jack Grealish for 18 months before the penny dropped. Nunes has had four consecutive starts in all competitions exactly once this season. Consistency is coached, not inherent. You cannot judge a thoroughbred on a handful of furlongs.

My Verdict: Nunes Starts the Champions League Quarter-Final

By April, Guardiola will have no choice. Kovacic’s injury record (34 games missed since 2020) and Bernardo’s persistent fatigue will force a change. Nunes will start the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final — and will record either an assist or a goal. If he does not, City will exit in the last eight. That is the stakes of ignoring a £53m player who could be the answer to their most persistent tactical flaw.

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