Pep Guardiola has hailed new Manchester City signing Nico Gonzalez following his impressive Premier League debut this past weekend, going so far as to call him a “mini-Rodri”.
Very high praise indeed.
Blues feared that the recently secured Spanish footballer was already set for a period on the sidelines following a worrying injury incident on his short-lived debut against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup, but the 23-year-old thankfully returned straight to the starting lineup in the 4-0 win over Newcastle.
Fellow newcomer Omar Marmoush was undoubtedly the star of the show, netting a first-half hattrick in front of the Eithad crowd, but manager Pep Guardiola was quick to heap the plaudits on Gonzalez in his post-match interview.
Quick to smile in response to the reporter’s comparing his impact and calming presence in the middle of the park to that of Rodri, Pep simply responded: “He is our mini-Rodri.”
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Insisting that it is a huge compliment to be mentioned in the same breath as the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner and Man City talisman in just your first league start, especially at such a young age too, Guardiola went on to add that his personality, pace and time in Portugal have done wonders for
Crediting his time at Barcelona’s La Masia Academy (‘The Farmhouse’ in English) as having obviously influenced his positional awareness and possession – the blueprint around which the Catalan coach’s teams have always been built – he said he believes the youngster has already “grown up a lot.”
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To it into context, not only was Gonzalez absolutely everywhere against Newcastle but he completed 98 of his 101 passes (97% completion rate) from just 112 touches, which included 14 into the final third, some positive progressive carrying; four recoveries, four successful ground duels and an interception.
Not a bad start to life for a player new to the country, the most competitive league in the world and what has proved to be the most crucial position on the pitch for City.
It’s no coincidence that the Quadruple-winners form has suffered in the wake of Rodri’s prolonged absence and though there have been signs of them getting back on track, replacing him and the impact he has on tempo and control has still evaded them.
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Well, perhaps until this weekend.
It’s too early to tell whether Nico Gonzalez really is a ‘mini-Rodri’ regen, as social media was quick to join in labelling him on Saturday, but if he proves to be even half the player for Pep as the Euro 2024 winner for the time being, you can expect results to keep improving.
Meanwhile, his senior counterpart is still most likely resigned to miss the rest of the current campaign following surgery on his ACL, though the club have shared some slim hope that he could return just before its conclusion.
City still have injury problems and defensive issues to deal with, in particular, having conceded more in all competitions already than they did in the entirety of last season and the year before, but the arrival of highly-rated Abdukodir Khusanov has definitely taken some pressure off.
What about you: which new face are you most excited by – Manchester’s ‘Egyptian Prince’, the young Uzbek defender or Pep’s new ‘mini-Rodri‘, Nico Gonzalez?
Greater Manchester stadiums included in the bid to host the Women’s World Cup confirmed
Danny Jones
The locations for the official UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been revealed, along with the Greater Manchester football stadiums chosen for the honour.
Not exactly a ground-breaking spoiler, but the FA did make a somewhat curious choice when they shared the news.
In case you hadn’t heard the news earlier this year, our nation has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2035, with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all set to offer up their arenas as part of the record-breaking proposal.
Naturally, a region as footy-obsessed as ours and with two of the biggest stadiums in the country was always going to be included, but as mentioned, there was a particular detail that lots of people quickly noticed following the announcement.
Yes, in a slightly bizarre but ultimately innocuous turn of events, Etihad Stadium – home of Manchester City FC – has been selected, as was the world-famous ‘Theatre of Dreams‘, the only difference being that it was listed separately from the city itself.
Instead, Man United’s iconic home turf, Old Trafford, has been listed as just that: in Trafford, specifically, as opposed to simply being listed in the same section as its sky blue counterpart.
Now, while it’s true that all 10 boroughs have their own identity, culture (not to mention some subscribing to still being part of Lancashire or even Cheshire), it did strike us and others as a bit odd to put that rather iconic and equally historic venue down as almost separate from the city.
Many would argue that one of the things Manchester is best known for around the globe is the team of Red Devils that play at that ground.
Naturally, ‘Cityzens‘ have had their fair share of fun with the post and, conversely, there’s been plenty of retorts regarding ‘supporters from Stockport’, as you would expect…
Nevertheless, we’re just glad to see the Etihad and Old Trafford continuing to cater to some of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar.
Some have actually argued that the region should have been given opportunities to host more stadiums and/or games as part of the market pitch, as the likes of both Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic’s stadiums were floated as viable or even better alternatives, capacity-wise.
Either way, with the 22 venues that have been selected for the UK’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup and us Brits currently unopposed in the race to secure the tournament, the FA are going all-in for the 48-team competition, which would be “the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.”
You can read more down below.
Our shared ambition: to host the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK, and the first FIFA World Cup in this country since 1966.#AllTogetherpic.twitter.com/y6GOPEPDdG
Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 as part of new festive food range
Danny Jones
We can’t believe it’s rolled around again already, but with the festive period well underway and the big day just a few weeks away, Stockport County have brought back their viral ‘Xmas dinner in a cup’for 2025.
Better still, the County Courtyard has seen some new Christmas specials added to its food menu, too.
The local football club are absolutely flying in League One at the moment, having spent plenty of time at the top of the table already and still well and truly contesting those promotion/play-off spots.
If you’re a Stopfordian, that’s plenty of cause for celebration right there, but with the Christmas dinner in a cup also up for grabs once more, the holiday season literally couldn’t taste any better right now.
For those who’ve never seen it before, it’s exactly what it says on the tin – well, cup: a little Sunday dinner in a County-branded takeaway coffee cup, complete with a healthy pour of gravy and pretty much all the trimmings you could hope for.
Yes, including sprouts, because all of you who still don’t touch them need to grow up already.
Currently priced at just £4.50, not only does it contain virtually all the major food groups (barring the customary matchday pints, of course), it might just be one of the healthiest and best value-for-money bits of footy scran around – certainly in Greater Manchester, anyway.
But, as mentioned, that’s not all this year; Stockport are also serving up the new festive hot dog and even a ‘leftover Christmas curry’ in a bowl, which might even be more warming on a cold night at Edgeley Park than the Xmas dinner in a cup or clinging onto a flask of Bovril.
Anyone else craving that curry with a cheeky bit of bubble and squeak now?
It’s also worth noting that you’ll only be able to get one of those on Boxing Day, by the way, when the Hatters host Lincoln City in the league.
As for the rest of it, County fans can get their hands on this seasonal scran for the first time this year at the weekend when Dave Challinor’s side take on Barnsley at 12:30pm, and two of the three specials will then be served at home every game over the holiday period.
Speaking of random Christmas food creations, there’s another limited-time-only and potentially divisive example that we’ll also be sampling this December…
Danny Jones -
17th February 2025 
