'Mini-Rodri' Nico Gonzalez is finally living up to Pep Guardiola's nickname at Man City

Although he was raised in Barcelona’s La Masia academy and raised by one of Spain’s most technical footballers in his father, Guardiola appeared to value Gonzalez’s physical attributes the most when he first watched him up close. 

"The presence of Nico helped a lot, the 50-50s. If there are 10 balls. he wins seven of them," the coach said after the Spaniard’s impressive debut against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium. "He's like a mini-Rodri. It's a big compliment. He's miles away from Rodri, he's the best, but we have the feeling he'll help us in the last part of the season with his presence."

Guardiola started Gonzalez in City's next five league games, although he couldn’t quite build on his exploits against Newcastle, as the dethroned champions lost to Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, leaving them with a fight on their hands to finish in the top five and qualify for the Champions League.

Yet in the thick of that battle, Guardiola preferred other options. Gonzalez was an unused substitute for the derby at Manchester United in April and for the crunch game with Aston Villa later that month, which was effectively a shootout for a place in the top-five. In the end, he started just three of the eight matches in the Premier League run-in. 

Gonzalez, meanwhile, played a grand total of 37 minutes in City's run to the FA Cup final, getting one minute in the semi against Forest and none in the defeat to Crystal Palace at Wembley - and that was despite Mateo Kovacic being out injured. Gonzalez’s situation did not improve at the Club World Cup, where he appeared in just one of City’s four games as Rodri returned to the fold.

Gonzalez’s lack of playing time led to reports that the player was open to cutting short his stay and leaving in the summer. However, that is understood to not be true, with sources insisting Gonzalez had no interest in leaving. City instead decreased their squad size by offloading Ilkay Gundogan, among others.

Gonzalez started the first two games of the new season before retaking his place on the bench at Brighton when Rodri came back in following another injury setback. But with the 29-year-old’s return from knee surgery continuing to be disrupted by a series of niggling issues, Gonzalez got another chance and seized it. 

He has started nine of City’s last 12 games in all competitions and has arguably been their most important player in the last two months, with the obvious exception of Erling Haaland.

"It’s not easy sometimes arriving in a new club and playing a different style to maybe playing in the past," Guardiola said of Gonzalez last month. "But we’re really pleased with his behaviour and I’m pretty (sure) he’ll get better and better."

Gonzalez is far from the first player to need a transition season when getting to grips with Guardiola's methods. Jack Grealish, Josko Gvardiol and even Rodri are just some of the big-money signings who took their time to adapt to City’s way of playing. Gonzalez, though, appears to close to cracking the code within 10 months of first playing under the Catalan coach.

While Gonzalez fell behind Kovacic, Gundogan and occasionally Bernardo Silva and even Kevin De Bruyne in the holding midfield role last season, he is now only second to Rodri, who last started a game on October 5 and who has only played 60 or more minutes on five occasions this season.

"Right now, the first option when Rodri cannot play is absolutely Nico Gonzalez," Guardiola said before City’s game against Bournemouth earlier this month. He went on to dominate that match, playing important roles in both of Haaland’s goals by progressing the ball.

Gonzalez also impressed in City’s 2-0 win over Everton in October and in the Carabao Cup win over Swansea City, brushing off an error that led to the opponents scoring by shepherding City to a comeback win.

"Now he’s fundamental for us," said Guardiola after City’s win in South Wales. "He’s so young, a lovely guy. I’m really pleased because these types of football players that are incredibly coachable – they deserve the best."

Guardiola has described Gonzalez as "coachable" on many occasions, and the City boss demonstrated what he meant In September during the Carabao Cup third-round tie at Huddersfield Town by calling the midfielder over to him on the sideline on several occasions during the 2-0 win and speaking with him again on the pitch at full-time.

"Nico’s a guy who listens a lot and wants to improve and asks me what to do in different circumstances," the coach explained. "When you are on the pitch, it's better because you are there and can explain better. Nico is a young lad and he is incredibly coachable. When players want to be coachable, it's a gift for all the managers."

Gonzalez was also outstanding in the 3-0 victory against Liverpool just before the international break, allowing City to control the middle of the pitch while scoring their second goal with the aid of a big deflection off Virgil van Dijk. Jeremy Doku’s virtuoso display meant the Spaniard got little credit, but that is unlikely to bother him. Just take his biggest influence: Sergio Busquets. Former Spain manager Vicente del Bosque famously said of the now-Inter Miami player: "You watch the game, you don't see Busquets. But if you watch Busquets, you'll see the whole game." That impact is what Nico is now attempting to emulate.

Speaking in a press conference before City’s game at Villarreal last month, Gonzalez named Busquets as his biggest influence and attempted to dismiss comparisons with Rodri: "He is a team-mate. He’s important for the team, he makes us play so good but I don’t see any comparison or pay much attention to those things."

It is wise for Gonzalez to try and differentiate himself from his more famous team-mate because, even as good as he has been, he is always going to lose out to Rodri in a straight shootout. It remains to be seen whether Rodri ever returns to being the player he was before his triple knee ligament tear in September 2024, but it is testament to Gonzalez that people are speaking about Rodri less and less given his absence is no longer so glaringly obvious. 

The Ballon d’Or winner’s long spell on the sidelines cast a shadow over the team during their dramatic slide in results this time last year, but now they are barely missing him, and that is down to Gonzalez’s influence.