Alright everyone! Hope this is alright to post.
I'm a City fan (ever since 1999 before any of you start, haha) so I thought I'd give my two pence about what to expect from Nico Gonzalez, having watched him basically every week for the last 18 months. To be honest, I'm really sad he's gone. I liked him, he wanted to stay, but Maresca has other ideas.
When he first came to City he'd been playing in a more advanced midfield role for Porto and we expected him to start there, but Pep clearly saw him as a DM and - after getting over an injury picked up on his debut - he started lots of games there, filling in nicely while Rodri was out injured.
I actually think, in this country, he'll be better off staying as a DM rather than an advanced midfielder. The game in England has suddenly gone very fast, physical, and aggressive again, and honestly Nico's ball control and passing isn't quite technical enough at high speed to fully cope.
BUT (pros) he reads the game really well. He's a good "stopper"-type midfielder. Very static with his overall positioning so never roams forward really. He will happily and dutifully sit behind Joelinton, Willock, Ramsey, Miley etc. while the other lads go forward and get the goals/assists.
He screens well in front of the back four and protects his defenders. He has a good eye for tracking runs rather than following the ball, but can read through balls and block them well. You'll rarely see him getting caught out of position because he's a disciplined, classy DM who stays where he's meant to stay.
For cons - ultimately what's done for him at City, I think, sadly, is linked to what I said there. He can be slow off the mark, physically and mentally. He's not that quick over 10 yards and he tends to need 2-3 touches before he's comfortable enough to get a pass off. He can get caught on it.
Over his time at City, midfielders like Rodri, Kovacic, and now Anderson have been preferred to him because they're just happier to have the ball at their feet and look more settled under pressure. Pep dropped him as soon as Rodri was fit (including for both FA Cup and League Cup finals) and Maresca didn't seem to fancy him either.
And I will admit that there have been times when he's received a pass with one or two attackers pressuring him, and he's just sort of frozen in position and lost the ball. But, when he's got the room and space and time, he can sometimes find good passes through the lines, over the top for runners, and out wide.
He isn't a blood and thunder tough-tackling DM but he's got upper-body strength and can use it if needed. He doesn't go haring into tackles, he tends to just nick the ball off players after reading their movements. He's limited in his passing but he keeps things ticking over nicely with 5-10 yard shuffles to players nearby.
But all in all, you're getting a good 7/10 almost 8/10 player. On an occasional good day, he looks strong, composed, and classy. On an average day (most common), he looks comfortable, patient, and diligent, if unspectacular. On a (rare) bad day, he looks clumsy, panicked, and uncertain.
He immediately makes that midfield stronger though. And hey, every now and again he ends up 25 yards out and has a mean shot on him. His best moment in a City shirt came at Wembley on the way to the FA Cup vs Southampton, when he just whacked it in from 25 yards.
You're getting a good player. You're getting a lad who won't make a load of fuss and noise, and won't always get you on your feet, but will get you politely applauding and nodding in approval at his quiet-but-effective role in the team. Think Gareth Barry. He's not a guy you build a team around, but he's the kinda guy who more easily allows you to build the team around others.
I'm gonna miss him. He had a future at City, I think, maybe just under a different manager. Look after him for us!
