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Gareth Barry 's impressive start to life at Everton has brought the midfielder plenty of deserved praise.

The 32-year-old has only joined the Merseyside club on a season-long loan, but has been quick to discuss the ease with which he has settled in at Goodison Park.

Barry's fine performances have also led observers to remark that he might well have been moved on all too quickly by Manuel Pellegrini , with the Chilean's pursuit of Fernandinho perhaps misguided.

After a shaky start, Fernandinho is showing signs that he is coming to terms with the Premier League and is certainly delivering a remarkable work rate.

Here, we take a look at whether the Blues were in fact right to sacrifice the former Aston Villa midfielder for a Brazilian upgrade.

DUELS WON

Pellegrini - and, in fact, most modern coaches - like the anchor man in their midfield to act primarily as a destroyer. In that regard, Fernandinho has without doubt outperformed his predecessor thus far, winning 48.6% of his tackles on the ground. Despite excelling at Everton in the early stages of the season, Barry has won just 38.9% of his duels.

AERIAL DUELS WON

Although he is actually smaller than Barry, Fernandinho has also improved City's chances of repelling set pieces - as the statistics prove. The former Shakhtar Donetsk star has won an impressive 91.7% of his 12 aerial duels in the Premier League this season, while Barry has come out on top in 46.2% of his 13. City are without doubt stronger against the long ball as a result.

PASSING ACCURACY

Of course, there is little point in having a midfielder who can win the ball but then can't pass it in a straight line. Barry has clocked up a solid passing accuracy ratio of 85.6% so far, and has proven key to launching devastating Everton counter-attacks as a result. But Fernandinho is no slouch on the ball, either, and has found a team-mate with 86.1% of his passes during his City career.

MINUTES PER INTERCEPTION

It is also worth noting that Fernandinho's game is not all about blood and thunder - the 28-year-old is an intelligent presence in the City engine room. He averages an interception every 44 minutes in the Premier League in 2013-14, while Barry steals the ball once every 54 minutes so far.

MINUTES PER RECOVERY

The statistics don't all point in the favour of the Blues' summer signing, however. Despite possessing noticeably less pace than his successor in the City midfield, Barry recovers loose balls in midfield slightly more regularly. The 53-cap England international averages a recovery every 14.2 minutes, but Fernandinho does the same once every 17 minutes this season.