Pep Guardiola describes him as a ‘mini-Rodri’ but could Nico Gonzalez end up having a huge impact on what is left of Manchester City’s season?
The £50m midfielder’s impressive display on his Premier League debut, Saturday’s 4-0 win over top-four rivals Newcastle, brought the Rodri comparison from his beaming manager and impressed former City defender Micah Richards, who analysed Gonzalez for MOTD2.
“Gonzalez gave City the control they have been missing, with and without the ball,” said Richards.
“That made a massive difference to the whole team, and he was a positive influence on the players around him too.”
Next up is an even tougher test, but could the 23-year-old Spaniard have a similar effect against Real Madrid on Wednesday, and help City turn around a Champions League play-off tie where they trail 2-1 after the first leg?
“The balance of the team looks much, much better already with Gonzalez in it,” Richards added.
“City have got players who can score goals and hurt Real, but he brings some stability behind them, which they will need if they are to manage the game in Madrid.
“Do they have more chance of beating Real with him in the starting XI? Without a doubt.”
Image source,PA
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Gonzalez made his Premier League debut against Newcastle. He may have been described as being a ‘mini-Rodri’ but at 6ft 2in he is only one inch shorter than his new City team-mate
‘He doesn’t just see danger, he anticipates it’
One of the re-occurring themes of City’s calamitous campaign is how often they have been cut open on the counter-attack since Rodri was injured in September.
Guardiola has tried plenty of other players in the number six role, without replacing Rodri’s calm authority in the heart of midfield, which was a hallmark of his team and helped them win trophy after trophy.
Against Newcastle, it was different. City often stopped breakaways early, in the opposition half, with Gonzalez – a former Barcelona trainee who arrived at Etihad Stadium from Porto at the end of the January transfer window – seeing the threat early and expertly pouncing to snuff it out.
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Gonzales was ‘our mini-Rodri’ during big Man City win – Guardiola
“I saw a couple of situations against Newcastle where, in previous games, City would have been in big trouble,” Richards explained.
“In the past, they were playing the ball forward to the edge of the opposition box, losing it, then someone in midfield would get turned and suddenly the defence was having to drop back rapidly from the halfway line because the opposition were running through unchallenged.
“That did not happen on Gonzalez’s watch because he did not just stop counter-attacks when they happened, he anticipated the danger so they never happened in the first place.
“In one of the clips I picked out for MOTD2, he starts sprinting forward to pick up the second ball before the Newcastle defender on the edge of their area has even headed clear.
“Gonzalez is not just sitting deep, waiting, instead he gets up the pitch and into the right position to stop a group of Newcastle players getting on the ball and springing a break.
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City play a high ball up to Phil Foden but it is about to be headed away, beyond Foden and Erling Haaland who is stood by the referee. Gonzalez (highlighted) has already started running to where he thinks the ball will go…
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… Gonzalez is right, and he collects the ball before three Newcastle players can react and quickly feeds it to Josko Gvardiol (number 24) to his left
“That was not the only time he made a difference defensively.
“There was another clip I chose from the Newcastle game which was a mirror image of how City conceded their second goal against Juventus in their Champions League defeat in Turin in December.
“A City attack had just broken down and Ilkay Gundogan, who was playing as the deepest midfielder, got pulled across to the right, leaving a big hole in the middle for Juve to drive through, with only the defence to deal with it.
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Against Juve, Gundogan was drawn over to cover behind Kyle Walker (number 2) who is the City player nearest the ball on the right…
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… but Juve quickly switched the ball into the space inside, and drove forward. Rico Lewis has come inside from the left, leaving space on his flank – where the cross for Juve’s second goal comes from
“This time, however, Gonzalez leaves the runner to his left and he is not worried about him. Instead he reads the play and – bam! – he goes straight in for the challenge in the centre of the pitch to stop the counter.
“It’s perfect midfield play, because he does not jump too early either. His timing is excellent, and he gets the ball back, with energy and purpose.”
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Against Newcastle, Gonzalez leaves his man, who is running out to the right and switches his attention to the Newcastle players in the centre…
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… this time, when Newcastle play the ball inside, there is no gap for them to run through. Gonzalez reads the danger and is across to engage and win the ball back for City
‘Careful with the ball, but confident too’
Gonzalez was forced off injured on his City debut, last week’s FA Cup win at Leyton Orient. He was hurt when he was caught on the ball, seconds before Jamie Donley’s stunning long-range strike, which cannoned off the bar and went in via Stefan Ortega, put the home side ahead.
On Saturday, he lasted the full match, topping the ranking from both teams for most touches [114] and passes [103], with a 97% success rate.
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Gonzalez attempted 103 passes against Newcastle, and completed 100 of them. He played 15 passes into the final third, more than any other player
His careful use of the ball helped give City the control of possession that Guardiola craves – they enjoyed 62% of it against the Magpies – but he was brave with his distribution too.
“There were times when Gonzalez took out three or four Newcastle players with one pass forward,” Richards added. “That’s another thing City have been missing when they are starting attacks, or facing packed defences, someone who can break the lines from deep like that.
“Most of the time, though, you might have looked at his passing and think well he is actually not doing anything special. He was just in the right position, recycling the ball and keeping things moving.
“Again, though, that’s exactly what City have needed this season, because there have been too many games where they have not starved the opposition of the ball the way they would in the past.
“I loved how Gonzalez has got the personality to come to the Premier League and play like this, straight away, against a team renowned for their physicality and intensity in midfield.
“As well as character, he also had the intelligence to know when to take a chance, and when to just hold on to the ball. Having someone with that kind of football IQ in your team is priceless.”
‘He was just thinking about what was best for the team’
It was striking to see exactly where Gonzalez got on the ball, with none of his touches taking place in the final third of the pitch.
For Richards, that was further evidence that he was constantly thinking about his role in the side, and also showed how he might think differently to Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan, who have both filled in for Rodri as a defensive midfielder but had to wrestle with their attacking instincts.
“I think Gonzalez can get forward and into the box if he wants to,” Richards added. “Rodri always did that too – he scored nine goals last season.
“But on Saturday he wasn’t worried about getting forward, he was just thinking about what was best for the team – looking at where the space was and filling the gaps at the right moments in midfield, whether City had the ball or not.
“That was great for his team-mates, because they knew they had him giving that protection behind them, and it particularly benefited Rico Lewis.
“Without Rodri alongside him, Rico has often seemed like he is stuck between a rock and a hard place. While his form has not been at the level we saw when he first broke into the team, he has found the role that Pep asks him to perform much more difficult this season.
“When City play with four at the back and Lewis is right-back, he is asked to come inside to create an overload in midfield.
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Graphic showing the average position of touches by each Manchester City player against Newcastle on Saturday. Nico Gonzales is number 14 and Rico Lewis is number 82
“Without Rodri, and before Gonzalez signed, Lewis was coming into midfield too early, and getting stuck in those central areas. Against Newcastle, however, he had Gonzalez behind him and it allowed him to get forward quicker, and give City more options out wide on the right.
“On top of that, Gonzalez helped Lewis defensively too, although City’s dominance against Newcastle meant this was not as easy to spot.
“Lewis is still a defender, first and foremost, so when City have been losing the ball in the areas I spoke about earlier, he has to decide whether to get back in his right-back slot, or stay in midfield.
“It actually happened on the opposite flank for the Juventus goal I mentioned earlier, when he was at left-back but came across into midfield and left space out wide. With Rodri there, he does not have to come inside when attacks break down, and the same applies with Gonzalez in the team too.
“I loved the way Gonzalez seemed aware of exactly where to be at all times, and he also had the legs to get there quickly when he had to.
“That energy and physicality is something else City have lacked in their midfield, and it is another reason he looks like a gem of a player, who was the perfect signing for Pep.
“Going forward, he’s going to be an important player alongside Rodri, not just instead of him.
“He definitely gives City more hope against Madrid, too. They are not the favourites, but of course they still have a chance of getting through.”
