Guardiola sees 'Mini Rodri' Gonzalez as key to Man City's stability
Gonzalez, signed from Porto for £50 million on the final day of the January transfer window, adapted quickly in what Guardiola described as one of City’s best performances of the season.
Pep Guardiola believes Nico Gonzalez can help fill the void left by Rodri after an impressive Premier League debut in Manchester City's 4-0 win over Newcastle on 15 February.
City have struggled without their Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder, who suffered a serious knee injury in September. Gonzalez, signed from Porto for £50 million on the final day of the January transfer window, adapted quickly in what Guardiola described as one of City's best performances of the season.
"I think Nico's presence helped us a lot," Guardiola said. "The club have signed an incredible player for the future. He came through Barcelona's academy, which is the best in the world in terms of technique, passing, body shape, and understanding the game. Then, at Porto, Sergio Conceicao helped him become more aggressive and versatile.
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"He's only 23, like a mini-Rodri. The way he talks, his personality—at one point, he was even correcting Erling (Haaland), telling him what to do. When you see that, you realise we'll have Rodri and him for the next six or seven years. That will give us more stability, which we have missed this season."
Despite Gonzalez's solid debut, it was Omar Marmoush who stole the spotlight, scoring a first-half hat-trick—his first goals since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt for £59 million. James McAtee added a late fourth.
"He's the type of player we were missing," Guardiola said. "His movement in behind, his pace—we usually have players who want the ball at their feet, but he likes to attack the space, which helps us create more. But when we play like we did today, everyone looks better, even the manager."
The win moved City closer to securing Champions League qualification, while Newcastle's European hopes took a hit. They have now lost three of their last four league matches, dropping to seventh.
Manager Eddie Howe admitted inconsistency is holding his side back. "We have days where we look nothing like the team we are when we're at our best. To be an elite team, you have to be consistent," he said. "We didn't start well, but then we didn't respond either. That first half was tough to watch."
