September 10: Manchester City Spend €350 Million Rebuilding Midfield After Rodri Exit, Beat Porto 2-0 for Four Straight Wins

At the Dragon Stadium on September 9, 2026, Enzo delivered a lofted pass from in front of the penalty area. The ball went over Porto's entire defensive line and dropped onto Haaland's head, with the Norwegian almost not needing any adjustment before powering it into the net.

This was Manchester City's fourth win in all competitions this season. After beating Porto 2-0, they quietly extended their opening record to four straight victories, scoring nine goals and conceding two, leaving opponents with little room to create surprises.

Many people were waiting to see Manchester City struggle at the start of the season. Guardiola left, Rodri left, and the midfield structure that had been used for nearly seven years was almost completely dismantled during the summer window. Few expected Maresca's new midfield combination to immediately produce such a stable rhythm.

Looking back at the summer business, Manchester City took a more aggressive path than most elite clubs.

Their total spending reached €526 million, making them the biggest spenders in Europe, but they recovered €337 million by selling Rodri and several other players. Their net spending ranked only fourth in Europe, allowing them to build a new squad while staying within the safety line of Premier League financial rules. This level of rebuilding execution would be difficult for other clubs to attempt.

The most remarkable part is that more than €350 million of the spending went into midfield: €145 million for Enzo, €116 million for Anderson and €95 million for Buadi. Their combined fees immediately lifted Manchester City's midfield valuation into the highest tier in Europe.

Previously, many fans wondered who would provide defensive coverage and who would control distribution after Rodri's departure. After four matches, the answer has gradually become clearer.

In the Premier League third-round match, a 1-0 win over Coventry, many people's first reaction was not Haaland's winning header but Anderson's statistics: 176 touches, 155 passes, 143 successful passes and a 92.3% success rate. His number of completed passes alone exceeded Coventry's entire team.

Playing the full 90 minutes, he won all six of his ground duels and recorded one tackle and two interceptions, looking nothing like a new signing who had just arrived from Nottingham Forest.

Previously, people mainly remembered him as a player from the Championship who could run and press. In Manchester City's system, he has already filled much of the coverage gap left by Rodri's departure.

He does not need to sit in front of the penalty area and fight like a traditional defensive midfielder. Instead, he can carry the ball from the back to the front, expanding the midfield's width and depth. This is one of the core changes in Maresca's new system.

Enzo's debut story is even more interesting. Joining at the end of the summer window, many expected him to spend several matches on the bench adapting. Instead, he started in the third round and soon delivered a precise through ball that created Haaland's winning goal.

During the match, he and Cherki constantly switched positions in attack and repeatedly escaped pressure from multiple defenders, making it hard to believe he was a recent transfer.

He had already worked with Maresca during their time at Chelsea, so the tactical ideas did not require a long adjustment period and could be applied immediately.

In the Champions League match against Porto, he again provided a lofted assist for Haaland's opening goal, using two consecutive key performances to show that the €145 million record signing was not brought in just to fill a spot.

The most anticipated scene now is Enzo, Anderson and Buadi appearing on the pitch together. So far, they have not completed a full official match together. Once the three truly develop chemistry during the Champions League schedule, Manchester City's midfield control could reach another level.

Many people previously predicted Manchester City would start slowly because they changed the coach, replaced the midfield core and altered the entire operating structure. Surely, they thought, the team would need to lose a couple of matches to learn lessons.

But after four matches, they have not paid that price. Instead, they have demonstrated the simple football logic that a strong midfield makes the whole team stronger.

During Guardiola's era, Manchester City dominated the Premier League through extreme possession football and system familiarity. Maresca has not completely followed the old path; instead, he has allowed the new midfielders to play freely, pushing forward when needed, playing through balls when needed and covering large areas when needed, maximizing physicality, creativity and coverage.

Haaland is also playing more comfortably than before. He no longer needs to drop deep to receive the ball himself. The continuous through balls and crosses from midfield have fully unleashed his strengths in heading and penalty-area finishing. After scoring twice against Porto, his Champions League record reached 59 goals in 59 matches, an extraordinary efficiency rate in the competition's history.

Of course, it is still too early to say Manchester City are completely unbeatable. Their Premier League away match against Arsenal in mid-September will be the real test for this new midfield.

Last season, Arsenal defeated Manchester City by two points to win the Premier League title. Both teams have strengthened significantly this season. Whether City's new billion-euro midfield can withstand Arsenal's high press and maintain control of possession away from home will directly influence the title race.

Later in the Champions League league phase, Manchester City will also face top opponents such as Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. Under the new format, there is little margin for error across eight league-phase matches, and midfield fitness, rotation and chemistry will determine how far they can go.

However, judging from the opening four-match winning run, Manchester City's midfield rebuild, in which they committed heavily this summer, has not gone off track so far.

They did not make small adjustments to the old squad. Instead, they dismantled the familiar framework of the previous seven years and spent hundreds of millions to create a completely new central structure. That ambition alone exceeds what most elite clubs would attempt.

The current Manchester City is no longer the possession-based team everyone knew, but they remain a top side that relies on midfield dominance and commands respect from every opponent in the Premier League and Champions League.