14 | Nico Gonzalez - 2025/26

meeesh said:
Just think of the calibre of players we’ve signed and witnessed in the last say 7/8 years, would you consider him being as a shall we say a marquee signing? and I don’t mean a billy big bollocks who thinks he’s better than he is, but you know someone proper hit the ground running type, I’ve struggled to see it, and it’s worrying, but we shall see as you say
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No I don't. But I also don't see him as someone who can't make it. For example I didn't consider Gundogan a marquee signing but he became mega for us. That type of scenario is possible with Nico G IMO...
 
JewelZee said:
I'd try a box midfield with Foden and Reijnders in front of Rodri and Nico G with either Marmoush or Cherki supporting Haaland up top. Brazil played that way for years during times of great success. Just a thought. It requires fullbacks with wheels and stamina. Roberto Carlos did it. As did Cafu, Dani Alves, and Maicon (the good version, lol). Are Nunes, O'Reilly, and Ait Nouri suited to play like that for us? Possible...
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Absolutely possible. Nunes and O’Reilly as the fullbacks
 
JewelZee said:
No I don't. But I also don't see him as someone who can't make it. For example I didn't consider Gundogan a marquee signing but he became mega for us. That type of scenario is possible with Nico G IMO...
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Gundo was an obvious world class signing.

Nico - isn't near this level - but he's our best DM given that Rodri is likely going to be perpetually injured.
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Gundo was an obvious world class signing.

Nico - isn't near this level - but he's our best DM given that Rodri is likely going to be perpetually injured.
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Fernandinho and Rodri were not world class marquee signings when they arrived to play in the same position, no reason Nico cannot reach similar heights imo.
 
CΛL said:
Fernandinho and Rodri were not world class marquee signings when they arrived to play in the same position, no reason Nico cannot reach similar heights imo.
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Except for the fact that Nico G. isn't really a DM and was purchased a stop-gap at DM... and that he has never had spectacular performances - world class - for our side.

Nico is a squad player - who regularly starts because Rodri is perpetually injured.
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
Except for the fact that Nico G. isn't really a DM and was purchased a stop-gap at DM... and that he has never had spectacular performances - world class - for our side.

Nico is a squad player - who regularly starts because Rodri is perpetually injured.
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Fernandinho wasn’t a DM either, he was a box to box playing in Ukraine at 28.

Nico was hailed as the Busquets successor at Barca but Busquets hung around longer than anyone thought. He was reared as a DM, it doesn’t matter that he’s not played there for Porto.

How do you know he was purchased as a stop gap and not identified as the eventual successor to Rodri, like Rodri was to Fernandinho.

Nobody is a world class holding midfielder at 23, you’re asking too much. Rodri still exists and will be back to form and fitness at some point.
 
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CΛL said:
Fernandinho wasn’t a DM either, he was a box to box playing in Ukraine at 28.

Nico was hailed as the Busquets successor but Busquets hung around longer than anyone thought. He was reared as a DM, it doesn’t matter that he’s not played there for Porto.

How do you know he was purchased as a stop gap and not identified as the eventual successor to Rodri, like Rodri was to Fernandinho.

Nobody is a world class holding midfielder at 23, you’re asking too much. Rodri still exists and will be back to form and fitness at some point.
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I simply call performances as they are.

Rodri - for me - was always class - and I always supported him.

Nico - for me - was an OK signing - and still appears to be this way.

>> Rodri still exists and will be back to form and fitness at some point.
Really? Rodri suffered the worst possible ACL injury - recovery from this is at best uncertain.
 
CΛL said:
Fernandinho wasn’t a DM either, he was a box to box playing in Ukraine at 28.

Nico was hailed as the Busquets successor but Busquets hung around longer than anyone thought. He was reared as a DM, it doesn’t matter that he’s not played there for Porto.

How do you know he was purchased as a stop gap and not identified as the eventual successor to Rodri, like Rodri was to Fernandinho.

Nobody is a world class holding midfielder at 23, you’re asking too much. Rodri still exists and will be back to form and fitness at some point.
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How many more names do you want to drag out?

It's a forum, based on opinions, you think he is great, others don't, but stop dragging names up to suit your argument ffs
 
Kamikaze Blue said:
In the Villa Real game our midfield was better when he was on the pitch. In the Aston Villa game our midfield improved when he came on. Can't see beyond that really. He's what we need - energetic and sharp in the tackle.
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Important observation here.

I noticed exactly this at Forest away last season when he went off for Kovačić on the hour mark and we nose dived in our play as a team without him.

We also improved in general when he came to the club - his debut against Newcastle was an immediate impact and throws the ‘it takes a year’ idea out the window. He was good straight away and has only had a couple of poor games for us.

He’s only 23 and got loads of improving to do and loads of physical developing in the gym he needs to get under his belt, but I think he’s a good player and only going to get better.

One of the better signings in the last few years.
 
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.db. said:
Important observation here.

I noticed exactly this at Forest away last season when he went off for Kovačić on the hour mark and we nose dived in our play as a team without him.

We also improved when he came to the club - his debut against Newcastle was an immediate impact and throws the ‘it takes a year’ idea out the window. He was good straight away and has only had a couple of poor games for us.

He’s only 23 and got loads of improving to do and loads of physical developing in the gym he needs to get under his belt, but I think he’s a good player and only going to get better.

One of the better signings in the last few years.
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+1

That said, and though you may disagree - how likely is it that Rodri will recover from the worst possible ACL injury he suffered? And even if he eventually returns to a level approaching his world best form - how long is that going to take?

And meanwhile, we have as backup, Nico G., who is doing OK considering that his best position isn't even DM.

Rodri still frequently injured and may not ever return to form - Nico as our only decent backup, and DM isn't his primary position - and if Nico is injured and Rodri can't play and we face one of many dangerous sides... Villa is what results. This is not a winning formula for a side hoping to finish first in the P/L.
 
.db. said:
Important observation here.

I noticed exactly this at Forest away last season when he went off for Kovačić on the hour mark and we nose dived in our play as a team without him.

We also improved when he came to the club - his debut against Newcastle was an immediate impact and throws the ‘it takes a year’ idea out the window. He was good straight away and has only had a couple of poor games for us.

He’s only 23 and got loads of improving to do and loads of physical developing in the gym he needs to get under his belt, but I think he’s a good player and only going to get better.

One of the better signings in the last few years.
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Nico is so underrated. He has been our best player this season along with Foden. I would like to see Nico alongside Rodri in the toughest games. No one would break on us then. Arsenal are defending well with Rice and Zubamendi playing together protecting the back four.
 
meeesh said:
How many more names do you want to drag out?

It's a forum, based on opinions, you think he is great, others don't, but stop dragging names up to suit your argument ffs
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Why are you crying? They are valid comparisons when he seems to think we should sign a bona fide star for every single position. Most of our best ever players became stars at City. I'll bring up whoever the fuck I want you simpleton.
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
Nico is so underrated. He has been our best player this season along with Foden. I would like to see Nico alongside Rodri in the toughest games. No one would break on us then. Arsenal are defending well with Rice and Zubamendi playing together protecting the back four.
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And there is the issue, football all about opinions of course, but he and Foden are nowhere near the best this season, there's only 1 player who has been great this season upto now and if he doesn't score we are fucked, simple as that
 
BlueMoonAcrossThePond said:
+1

That said, and though you may disagree - how likely is it that Rodri will recover from the worst possible ACL injury he suffered? And even if he eventually returns to a level approaching his world best form - how long is that going to take?

And meanwhile, we have as backup, Nico G., who is doing OK considering that his best position isn't even DM.

Rodri still frequently injured and may not ever return to form - Nico as our only decent backup, and DM isn't his primary position - and if Nico is injured and Rodri can't play and we play a dangerous side... Villa is what results. This is not a winning formula for a side hoping to finish first in the P/L.
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Rodri is picking up the injuries that people do after an ACL injury and tendon ligamenting surgery. So far it’s a good sign that he’s played as much as he has and not reruptured his ACL or done his other ACL, which can occur after these injuries and operations in sports performers.

It can take up to 2-years to be fully recovered from an ACL injury and surgery, and even then osteoärthritis in the knee joint start to occur especially in those who also had meniscus problems with the injury.

Sadly, Rodri will be unlikely to get back to his pre-injury best due to his age. Even without this injury, by 31 he would likely not have been as good as he was at 27, never mind having been robbed of his prime 28-30 years of playing, with such a big injury.

One of the most frustrating things I’ve ever felt in football Rodri’s injury. He’s my favourite player and we as fans, as a club and him as a player and person have been robbed of two of his prime years.
 
CΛL said:
Why are you crying? They are valid comparisons when he seems to think we should sign a bona fide star for every single position. Most of our best ever players became stars at City. I'll bring up whoever the fuck I want you simpleton.
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Haha I ain't crying you clown, but this Barca trained bullshit, if he was any good he'd be at Barca, not fucking Porto, you call me simple? Fuck me wake up you idiot, not a fucking clue.

Whose next on the list you want to throw into the mix you wanker?
 
bobbyowenquiff said:
Nico is so underrated. He has been our best player this season along with Foden. I would like to see Nico alongside Rodri in the toughest games. No one would break on us then. Arsenal are defending well with Rice and Zubamendi playing together protecting the back four.
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If Nico had come to a team that was as good as the team Rodri came into, he’d have looked even better still.

Instead, he came into a team with a terrible run of results behind them, with players around him who have been out of form, who’ve never been in form, who are inconsistent and flit from being good to average within the same five minutes never mind five games… but I think Nico has been one of the few consistent steadying influences on the team in 2025, even at 23 where he’s still got a lot of improving to do himself.

If he keeps improving and City as a team improve to better levels with better and more consistantly in form players around him, he’ll be a really good player for us.

I’m not saying Rodri levels, but a really good player.
 
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meeesh said:
And there is the issue, football all about opinions of course, but he and Foden are nowhere near the best this season, there's only 1 player who has been great this season upto now and if he doesn't score we are fucked, simple as that
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I take Haaland for granted. I don’t think Foden or Nico have been great but, apart from the Viking, I think they have been our best players. No one else is really performing as they can.
 
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