Nico Gonzalez was told why he wasn't starting more games at Manchester City last season, but the path to the first team is there
Pep Guardiola chose not to start Rodri in the Champions League final at the end of his second season with Manchester City
Pep Guardiola chose not to start Rodri in the Champions League final at the end of his second season with Manchester City
(Image: David Ramos/Getty Images)
It's safe to say that the first six months for Nico Gonzalez at Manchester City hasn't quite gone how anybody wanted. It hasn't been terrible, but early hopes that he could instantly be a star player in the team and solve all of their problems proved to be wide of the mark.
In a summer of change at the club, it has made the January arrival's position less secure than it should be. City expect to keep him for the season, but Gonzalez started just one of four games at the Club World Cup after one in seven at the end of last season and if he wants to force a move it won't be immediately dismissed with the squad needing to be trimmed.
If there is anything to weigh up for Gonzalez, it would be worth remembering Guardiola's comments from April on why he was no longer starting games. It could be seen as the 23-year-old not doing what was needed, but was more down to him not having learned what others who have been at the club for longer have.
"I decided for the players with experience who know all the patterns better. And look what happened against United! [in a dull 0-0 draw]" he said. "But it's not against him because Jeremy [Doku] has played awesome recently for many games and didn't play against United. It's not against any players particularly.
"The impact for the news ones has been really good. I'm impressed in training.
"It's not easy when they come to an environment where the way we are playing and the results are not good. Nico has played good and I'm pretty sure when Rodri comes back just by mimicking him in training sessions he will learn a lot.
"He's another guy who understands many things and he will get it because he listens, he is so attentive and focused on his work - football, football, football.
"That's so important and the times he played - against Brighton he regained the ball and there was a transition and we could score so he has done many good things. With the ball, he has to move less.
"I don't like holding midfielders who move a lot, they have to be smaller in the position but I'm pretty sure he will get it. He has physicality, he wants to learn, he learns quick and it's going to happen."
It feels like Gonzalez has suffered as a result of not being Rodri, but it is worth remembering how long it was before Rodri settled into the sort of form that saw him deservedly named as the Ballon d'Or winner. There was no shortage of unflattering nicknames for the Spaniard in his first season at the club and there were even signs that he wasn't doing enough the following year.
Everybody remembers Guardiola not selecting a holding midfielder for the Champions League final in 2021, but it is often forgotten that Rodri would have been second choice in that position. A number of erratic performances in the knockout rounds had seen him lose his place to Fernandinho in the latter part of that campaign.
Thankfully, Rodri still had the old master to watch in action and something clicked that summer that saw him get exactly what was needed from the position. Gonzalez will more than likely have to play games as a No.6 if he decides to stay and he can learn from Rodri in the same way - as Guardiola predicted.
City are in a hurry to rebuild, so it just comes down to how much patience and faith there is that decisions will come good.
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