Could Nico Gonzalez transfer help Man City avoid falling behind one ‘modern football’ trend? | OneFootball

Manchester City‘s woeful season has shown that Rodri is simply irreplaceable.

That certainly won’t change after the £50million arrival of Nico Gonzalez, who is not a direct replacement for the Ballon d’Or winner.

With Rodri, Man City looked like they could beat any team on the planet. He is that good. But since an ACL injury that put an end to his season, Pep Guardiola’s men have struggled to boss games like they usually do with Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan.

In truth, there are few players like Rodri in football and Gonzalez is not about to fill that hole after arriving from FC Porto.

But Man City fans should nonetheless be excited about his arrival. Gonzalez is a box-to-box midfielder who can make darting runs in the box and affect games in the defensive and attacking thirds. The 23-year-old played 37 times in his first full season at Barcelona in 2021-22 under Xavi before being loaned out to Valencia the following campaign. Since joining Porto for just £7m in 2023, he has played 68 times, scoring nine times.

His technical education took place at Barcelona’s La Masia academy and Gonzalez has developed into an all-rounder who can help Man City in many areas, notably through his aggression in winning balls and making interceptions. Only three players have won possession in attacking areas more times than Gonzalez in the Primeira Liga this season (15). Man City really could have used a player with the energy to break up play late in their 5-1 loss to Arsenal on Sunday, with Kovacic and Silva both in their 30s and perhaps too attacking-minded.

Ball-carrying is another area where Gonzalez shines. In the Primeira Liga this season, he ranks third for progressive carries at 10 metres as he often looks to make a driving run through midfield and slip through a pass to an attacker.

His physical presence is a real weapon from set-pieces, too. Four of his five goals for Porto this season have come from dead-ball situations. This has been a weakness for Man City of late. The reigning Premier League champions have won the second-most corners this season but have scored just one of them, while rivals Arsenal have netted nine.

As a 6ft2 all-action midfielder, Gonzalez offers the physical level Guardiola clearly feels his team are currently failing to rise to.

After Man City’s 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in January, he told reporters, “We didn’t fight properly because we were not in the rhythm that we should play.

“Today modern football is the way that Bournemouth play, that Newcastle play, like Brighton play – Liverpool have always been like that. Like we were, this is modern football.

“Modern football is not positional and being there. You have to rise to the rhythm.”

Bringing presence along with technical flair to Man City, Gonzalez could be just what they need to kickstart their stuttering campaign alongside the arrivals of Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov.

Despite Man City’s noted struggles this term, Gonzalez could not help but rave about his new team-mates after his arrival.

He said: “Look at the squad they have here. It’s unbelievable, full of world-class players. There isn’t a footballer in the world who would not want to be part of this set-up.”

He’s no Rodri, but Gonzalez has the same winning mindset and defensive bite that could end up being City’s saving grace.